Fasting glucose
MetabolismFasting blood glucose measures blood sugar levels after fasting for at least 8 hours.
It's used to screen for and monitor diabetes, with elevated levels indicating impaired glucose metabolism.
Reference range
Source: Ahead Health benchmark
Reference ranges may vary between labs and assays. Always interpret results with your healthcare provider. · LOINC code: 2089-1
Why this matters
Fasting glucose is one of the earliest warning markers for metabolic health. Elevated levels (hyperglycemia) often appear years before diabetes develops and signal that your body is struggling to regulate sugar efficiently, raising the risk of heart disease, kidney damage, nerve problems, and vision loss. Low fasting glucose (hypoglycemia) is less common but can cause shakiness, sweating, irritability, confusion, and in severe cases fainting or seizures. Nutrition (particularly refined carbohydrates and added sugars), regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy body weight, stress management, and sufficient sleep all strongly influence glucose control.
Detecting abnormal values early allows for preventive lifestyle adjustments and, if needed, medical treatment to protect long-term health.
How this connects to other biomarkers
- Fasting Glucose 5.6–6.9 mmol/L (100–125 mg/dL) defines impaired fasting glucose (prediabetes); ≥ 7.0 mmol/L (≥ 126 mg/dL) on two occasions defines diabetes.
- Elevated Fasting Glucose with elevated Fasting Insulin and high HOMA-Index confirms insulin resistance (the body needs more insulin to keep glucose normal); with low insulin and ketones suggests insulin deficiency (type 1 diabetes).
- Always pair with HbA1c (NGSP) for chronic glycemia and Triglyceride-Glucose (TyG) Index for an integrated insulin-resistance picture.
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