What Is a Normal Fasting Blood Sugar? (mg/dL and mmol/L Explained)

Understanding your fasting blood sugar levels is crucial for managing your overall health, particularly if you are concerned about diabetes or prediabetes. This article will delve into what constitutes a normal fasting blood sugar range, explain the different units of measurement (mg/dL and mmol/L), and discuss the implications of levels outside the normal range. We’ll also cover factors that can influence these readings.

What Is Fasting Blood Sugar?

Fasting blood sugar refers to the glucose level in your blood after you haven't eaten or consumed any calories for at least eight hours. It’s a key indicator used to assess how well your body regulates blood sugar. This test is often performed in the morning, before you eat breakfast, and is a common screening tool for diabetes and prediabetes.

Normal Fasting Blood Sugar Ranges

Here's a breakdown of the standard interpretations for fasting blood sugar levels, using both mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter) and mmol/L (millimoles per liter) units:

• Normal: Less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L)
• Prediabetes: 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L)
• Diabetes: 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests

It's important to note that a single high reading does not necessarily mean you have diabetes. Healthcare professionals typically require multiple elevated readings on separate days to confirm a diagnosis.

Converting mg/dL to mmol/L and Vice Versa

To convert from mg/dL to mmol/L, divide the mg/dL value by 18. To convert from mmol/L to mg/dL, multiply the mmol/L value by 18.

Understanding these conversions can be useful when reading lab reports or discussing your health with medical professionals who may use different units.

Factors Affecting Fasting Blood Sugar Levels

Several factors can influence your fasting blood sugar levels:

• Diet: While you are fasting, your previous day's diet can still have some impact. Consuming a large amount of carbohydrates the day before a fasting blood sugar test may slightly elevate the results.
• Medications: Certain medications, such as corticosteroids, can raise blood sugar levels. It’s crucial to inform your doctor about all medications you're taking.
• Stress: Stress hormones like cortisol can increase blood sugar levels, impacting too much sugar in the blood symptoms your fasting reading.
• Illness: When you're sick, your body may release more glucose to fight infection, which can also elevate blood sugar.
• Sleep: Poor sleep can affect hormone levels, potentially increasing blood sugar.
• Exercise: While regular exercise typically helps lower blood sugar, strenuous exercise close to the testing time might temporarily increase it.

What to Do If Your Fasting Blood Sugar Is High

If your fasting blood sugar consistently falls into the prediabetes or diabetes range, it's important to consult with a healthcare professional. Here are some general recommendations:

• Schedule an Appointment: Talk to your doctor about your results and any other symptoms you're experiencing.
• Lifestyle Changes: Your doctor may recommend lifestyle modifications, such as:
  • Diet: Eating a balanced diet low in processed foods, sugary drinks, and refined carbohydrates. Focus on whole grains, lean proteins, and plenty of fruits and vegetables.
  • Exercise: Engaging in regular physical activity, such as brisk walking, jogging, or swimming, for at least 30 minutes most days of the week.
  • Weight Management: Losing even a small amount of weight can significantly improve blood sugar control.
• Medications: In some cases, medication may be necessary to help manage blood sugar levels. Your doctor will determine if this is appropriate for you.

Monitoring Your Blood Sugar Regularly

If you have prediabetes or diabetes, regular blood sugar monitoring is crucial. This can blood sugar 531 be done at home using a glucose meter. Regular monitoring helps you understand how your blood sugar responds to different foods, activities, and medications, allowing you to make informed decisions about your health.

Common Misconceptions About Fasting Blood Sugar

• One High Reading Means Diabetes: A single elevated reading is not enough to diagnose diabetes. Multiple readings, along with other tests, are needed.
• Fasting Blood Sugar Is All That Matters: While it's an important indicator, other tests, such as the A1C test, provide a broader picture of blood sugar control over time.
• Normal Reading Means You're Completely Safe: Even if your fasting blood sugar is normal, it's essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle and undergo regular checkups to monitor your overall health.

Fasting Blood Sugar Ranges and Interpretation (HTML Table)

Below is a summary of the fasting blood sugar ranges, along with their interpretations.

healthy blood sugar levels for type 2 diabetes

Blood Sugar Level	mg/dL	mmol/L	Interpretation
Normal	Less than 100	Less than 5.6	Healthy range. Continue maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Prediabetes	100 to 125	5.6 to 6.9	Increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle changes recommended.
Diabetes	126 or higher (on two separate tests)	7.0 or higher (on two separate tests)	Indicates diabetes. Requires medical evaluation and management.

The Role of Insulin

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy. In people with diabetes, the body either doesn't produce enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or can't effectively use the insulin it produces (type 2 diabetes). This leads to high blood sugar levels, including elevated fasting blood sugar.

Conclusion

Monitoring your fasting blood sugar is a critical component of assessing your metabolic health. Understanding the normal ranges in both mg/dL and mmol/L, along with the factors that can influence these readings, empowers you to take proactive steps towards managing your health. Always consult with a healthcare professional for personalized advice and management strategies based on your individual circumstances. Regular monitoring, a healthy lifestyle, and medical guidance can help you maintain optimal blood sugar control and reduce your risk of diabetes-related complications.

This is why intermittent fasting is a powerful tool for hypoglycemia. Talk to a Dr. Berg Keto Consultant today and get the help you need on your journey. Call 1-540-299-1556 with your questions about Keto, Intermittent Fasting or the use of Dr. Berg products. Consultants are available Monday through Friday from 8 am to 10 pm EST. Saturday & Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm EST. USA Only. Add Your Success (Before & After): Take Dr. Berg's Advanced Evaluation Quiz: Your report will then be sent via email analyzing 104 potential symptoms, giving you a much deeper insight into the cause-effect relationship of your body issues. It's free and very enlightening. Timestamps 0:00 Introduction: intermittent fasting and hypoglycemia 0:32 Symptoms of hypoglycemia 1:00 What causes hypoglycemia? 5:24 How intermittent fasting helps with low blood sugar 6:55 Final thoughts on intermittent fasting and hypoglycemia In this video, we’re going to talk about intermittent fasting and hypoglycemia. When your blood sugars are dangerously low, it’s important to normalize them as quickly as possible. However, what do you do for subclinical low blood sugar? If you have hypoglycemia, you may experience the following symptoms: • Headaches • Excess hunger • Fainting • Fatigue • Weakness • Shakiness • Irritability • Nervousness • Lightheadedness Many people will say that the solution is to eat more sugar. Crazy, right? In fact, they often recommend having 14 to 25 grams of sugar. This is like recommending that an alcoholic drink tequila. The problem IS the sugar. While a quick boost of sugar may act as a bandaid, it won’t address the underlying problem. The underlying problem is too much insulin. Any time you have sugar or other types of carbohydrates, you spike your insulin level. Over time, this can cause insulin resistance and hypoglycemia. When you develop insulin resistance, your insulin feedback loop breaks, causing your body to create way too much insulin. Low cortisol can also cause high insulin and low blood sugar levels. Another cause is low glycogen. Glycogen is stored carbohydrates. If you aren’t storing carbs/sugar properly, you can develop low blood sugar. Potassium is important for storing sugar properly. It’s important to replenish your electrolytes regularly with healthy vegetables. The key to repairing insulin resistance is to do intermittent fasting. This is because your insulin level spikes each time you eat. Intermittent fasting reduces insulin spikes so that your insulin level stays normal throughout most of the day. The first step is to give up sugar and refined carbs. Next, you want to ease into intermittent fasting slowly. Start by cutting out all snacks. Then have your first meal of the day later in the day. After that, you can cut out one meal and have two meals a day. And finally, you can go to one meal a day if you feel comfortable with it. Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio: Dr. Berg, age 55, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan, and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media. Follow us on FACEBOOK: fb.me/DrEricBerg ABOUT DR. BERG: Disclaimer: Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. The Health & Wellness, Dr. Berg Nutritionals and Dr. Eric Berg, D.C. are not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or product you obtain through this video or site. #keto #ketodiet #weightloss #ketosis Thanks for watching. I hope this helped explain how to use intermittent fasting to help with hypoglycemia. I’ll see you in the next video.