Blood Sugar Testing
Diabetes is detected with blood sugar tests. Testing blood sugars can also help to understand how well diabetes is being controlled.
Fasting Blood Sugar Level
This test tells how much sugar is in the blood before eating your first meal of the day. Diabetes is diagnosed if the fasting sugar level is higher than 126 mg/dL on two different tests. Levels between 100 and 126 mg/dL are called impaired fasting sugar. These levels are risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
Hemoglobin A1c (A1C) Test
This test tells us what the average blood sugar has been over the past two to three months.
- Normal: Less than 5.7%
- Pre-diabetes: 5.7 to 6.4%
- Diabetes: 6.5% or higher
People with diabetes usually test their blood sugars every day and may need to adjust their medications based on their blood sugar levels. Your doctor will check your Hemoglobin A1c level two to four times a year to see how well your diabetes has been managed between office visits.
Last Physician Review - January 13, 2015