Doctors often prescribe different tests to monitor the blood glucose level which is very beneficial and necessary for a diabetic and non-diabetic person to monitor their health. The average blood glucose level in diabetes, in pregnancy, normal blood glucose level, fasting, and postprandial blood glucose level are the most common queries on the internet.
Here we are going to give a comprehensive idea about the average blood glucose level. You will also find the normal glucose level chart and other test charts to get an idea about the blood glucose level.
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What Does Blood Glucose Level Mean?
The measure of glucose (sugar) content present in our blood. The food we eat like carbohydrates-rich pieces of bread, fruits, etc. contains sugar. Glucose needs for the energy of our body. Insulin is a hormone that maintains the blood glucose level. The pancreas secretes insulin. If the pancreas doesn’t produce insulin or, not able to produce insulin then blood glucose level fluctuates.
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The decrease in insulin levels results in non-degradation of blood glucose that eventually increases the blood glucose level; This leads to diabetes. When the insulin is not produced through the cells then it leads to type 1 diabetes. However, when the insulin is produced, but the cells can’t function properly then it leads to type 2 diabetes.
Blood Glucose Level Testing :
There are generally two tests for blood glucose level:
- Fasting blood glucose level test
- postprandial blood glucose level test
Blood Sugar Level Chart (fasting and postprandial):
| Category | Diabetic / Non-Diabetic | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Fasting | Diabetic | 70-100 mg/dl |
| Non-Diabetic | 80-130 mg/dl | |
| Postprandial | Diabetic | 90-140 mg/dl |
| Non-Diabetic | 90-180 mg/dl |
Normal Blood Glucose Level:
Non-diabetic individual generally has their blood glucose levels between 70 to 100mg/dl. The test for diabetes is made when a person is fasting and the blood glucose level comes equal to or above 126mg/dl in two separate tests. For the average blood glucose level, both the highest and lowest blood sugar level is analyzed.
Fasting Blood Glucose Level:
Fasting blood glucose levels is usually done in the early morning on an empty stomach. Patients should not even drink water before testing. If the patient’s glucose level in fasting is between 80 to 130mg/dl then it is considered to be normal.
Postprandial Blood Glucose Level:
The postprandial blood glucose level is tested after having a modest meal. People who don’t have diabetes show normal postprandial blood sugar levels between 90 to 140 mg/dl. Normally postprandial blood glucose level is measured two hours after eating. For people over the age of 50 might be considered at a high level of blood glucose. The blood glucose range for people who have Type 2 diabetes is between 90 to 180mg/dl.
Blood Glucose Level In Pregnancy:
Normally in pregnant women, 2 types of diabetes can be seen-
- Pre-existing diabetes: Already diagnosed with diabetes before pregnancy.
- Gestational diabetes: Developed diabetes after getting pregnant.
Blood Sugar Level Chart For Pregnancy:
| Category | Fasting Glucose Level Range | Postprandial Glucose Level Range |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-existing Diabetes | 66-99 mg/dl | <96 mg/dl |
| Gestational Diabetes | 100-129 mg/dl | 12 mg/dl |
Pre-existing Diabetes:
It is curial to maintain the average blood glucose level if a pregnant woman has already suffered from diabetes.
The normal range of fasting (before meal) blood glucose level is 60 to 99mg/dl. The normal range for postprandial (after meal) blood glucose level is 100 to129mg/dl.
Gestational Diabetes:
If a pregnant woman is pregnant and then developing diabetes; it is considered generally considered a non-worrying event.
The normal range for fasting (before meal) blood glucose level is 96mg/dl or less and the normal range for postprandial (after meal) blood glucose level is less than 120mg/dl.
Test Associated With Blood Glucose Level Testing:
Along with all the normal blood glucose level tests, doctors often prescribe to do some other factor testings.
They sometimes tell you to test lipid profile (LDL, HDL), urea, creatinine level, albumin, etc. These tests keep the blood glucose level on average.
Because when a person is detected with diabetes, it not only affects the glucose level it also affects the liver, kidney, eyes, etc.
To know if all the other organs are working properly or not you need to do all these tests twice a year at least. Hereunder some clinical data are given in the chart you can refer to that also.
Ranges Of Additional Test (Diabetes Mellitus):
| Test Category | Sample Taken For Testing | Blood Reference Interval | Method Use For Testing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glucose Fasting Result | Plasma | 74-99 mg/dl | Spectrophotometry hexokinase |
| Glucose Postprandial Result | Plasma | 70-139 mg/dl | Spectrophotometry hexokinase |
| *Creatinine | Serum | 0.9-1.3 mg/dl | Spectrophotometric jaffe’s kinetics |
| *Spot Urine Microalbumine | Urine | <20.0 mg/dl | Immunoturbidimetric assay |
| *Creatinine | Urine | undefined | Immunoturbidimetric assay |
| *Albumine/ Creatinine Ratio | Urine | Normal <30 mg/g creatinine | Calculated parameter |
Creatinine Test:
creatinine is a waste product produced by muscles from the breakdown of creatine compound. The kidney removes the creatinine as filtrate from urine.
Creatinine test tells us about the kidney is functioning well or not.
High serum creatinine level is the indication that your kidneys are not working well.
During dehydration, low blood volume, taking certain medications, and when you eat lots of meat creatinine level increases temporarily.
Creatinine levels in the blood may vary according to age, race, or size of the body. Low blood creatinine level means you might have some muscular dystrophy or it may be caused due to aging. Pregnancy can also cause a lower creatinine level.
Spot Urine Microalbumin Test:
The urine microalbumin test is done to detect small levels of albumin protein in the urine. It is also being done to detect early signs of kidney damage.
The high range of urine microalbumin may be an indication that you are at risk of developing heart disease. It may be caused by the presence of blood in urine, acid-base imbalance in the body, or any UTI(urinary tract infection).
The kidney disease associated with high albumin levels is called microalbuminuria. Whereas the lower level of urine albumin is not associated with any risk factor.
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Albumin/Creatinine Ratio:
The Albumin/creatinine ratio test is a comparison between the presence of albumin to creatinine in urine.
If the ratio shows you have albumin in your urine then again you have to test for confirmation.
If it shows again albumin that means you have early-stage kidney damage.
If it shows a high range of albumin it means you have kidney failure.
If you have a low Albumin / creatinine ratio then your kidneys are functioning well.
Coronary Risk Profile:
It comprises a group of tests done to check if your heart is in the right condition or not. It is used to measure cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Coronary Risk Profile Ranges(Lipid Profile):
| Test Category | Sample Taken For Testing | Blood Reference Interval | Method Use For Testing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cholesterol | Serum | < 200 mg/dl desirable | CHOD-POD |
| Triglycerides | Serum | < 150 mg/dl normal | GOD-POD |
| Cholesterol HDL | Serum | < 40 mg/dl | |
| Direct LDL Cholesterol | Serum | < 100 mg/dl optimum | Direct enzyme clearance |
| CHOL/HDL Ratio | Serum | 3.3-4.4 low risk | Calculated parameter |
| LDL/HDL Ratio | Serum | 0.5-3.0 low risk | Calculated parameter |
| Very low density lipoprotein | Serum | 30 mg/dl | Calculated parameter |
Cholesterol test:
Cholesterol is of two types – LDL and HDL. LDL means low-density lipoprotein and HDL means high-density lipoprotein.
LDL is termed as ‘bad’ cholesterol because it gets collected in the walls of the blood vessel causing blockage or heart-stroke.
When a high level of LDL is present in blood it will form plaques and cause blockage in arteries. This condition is called atherosclerosis.
HDL is termed as ‘good’ cholesterol because it helps in removing other forms of cholesterol from our bloodstream.
A high range of HDL is associated with a low risk of heart diseases. If you are overweight losing weight can boost your HDL level and cut your LDL level.
So you should do exercise to keep your heart healthy and to keep the average blood glucose level in a proper range.
CHOL/HDL ratio:
It is the cholesterol ratio which can be determined by dividing total cholesterol level by HDL level. The high value of this ratio indicates a higher risk of heart diseases.
Triglyceride test: It measures the number of triglycerides present in the blood. triglycerides are a type of fat or lipid.
The test can help the doctors to detect any risk of developing heart disease. A high triglyceride level is an indication of heart disease, obesity, or any metabolic syndrome.
Importance of Testing Blood Glucose Level:
A diabetic patient should do regular check-ups and he/she should consult a doctor every six months.
They are suggested to do blood sample testing for knowing their blood glucose level.
By knowing ones glucose level doctors can prescribe medicines or insulin injections to keep it under control.
Patients with glucose levels in the medium or low range are given some medications, which they should take regularly.
Patients with very high or more than the normal range of blood glucose levels are given insulin sometimes.
They can’t produce insulin within their body even after taking medicines. So, they are directly given insulin in the form of injections.
Through testing only we can get the average blood glucose level in our body.
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