Glucose Factsheet

What is a normal glucose result?

In normal health, after a twelve hour fast, the blood glucose level should register 3.5 to 5.6; two hours after eating a normal meal, it should be 3.5 to 7.9.

A low blood glucose level: what does it mean?

Not a lot; certainly, it does not signify a serious illness but may cause weakness, faintness or other symptoms occuring particularly when you are hungry or after you have eaten a meal containing an excess of carbohydrate.

Apart from common-sense eating and avoiding carbohydrate when hungry, there is nothing else that should be done here.

A high blood glucose level: what does it mean?

If, on two separate occasions, you have a fasting blood glucose level in excess of 7.5, or a post-meal glucose level above 11.0, this means you have diabetes.

Results ranging between the normal and these diabetes levels signify impaired glucose metabolism, commonly described as incipient diabetes. This sometimes, but not always, becomes diabetes.

My blood glucose level is high - should I do anything about it?

Yes, if you are overweight, you must reduce weight as this may correct the glucose problem altogether.

However, if you do have diabetes, it will be either type I or type II. Type I diabetes occurs in relatively young people and nearly always requires treatment by insulin. Type II diabetes is a disease which afflicts the middle-aged and elderly and is treatable by diet and tablets; insulin is only very rarely required for this condition.

What would it mean if I did have diabetes?

Diabetes can be treated and need not prevent one from leading a normal lifestyle provided there is appropriate medical care and surveillance.

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