at present the diagnosis of diabetes or prediabetes is based in an arbitrary cut-off point for a normal blood sugar level. a normal sugar level is currently considered to be less than 100 mg/dl when fasting and less than 140 mg/dl two hours after eating. but in most healthy people sugar levels are even lower. during the day blood glucose levels tend to be at their lowest just before meals. for most people without diabetes blood sugar levels before meals hover around 70 to 80 mg/dl. in some 60 is normal; in others 90. again anything less than 100 mg/dl while fasting is considered normal by today's standards. what's a low sugar level? it varies widely too. many people's sugar levels won't ever fall below 60 mg/dl even with prolonged fasting. when you diet or fast the liver keeps sugar levels normal by turning fat and muscle into sugar. a few people's sugar levels may fall somewhat lower. without taking diabetes medicine though or having uncommon medical problems it's difficult to drop sugar levels to an unsafe point. to diagnose diabetes your doctor may do a fasting blood glucose test. fasting blood glucose values: low – less than 70mg/dl normal - between 70 to 99mg/dl pre-diabetic – between 100 – 125mg/dl diabetic – greater than 126mg/dl non-fasting blood glucose values: low – less than 70mg/dl normal - between 70 to 139mg/dl pre-diabetic – between 140 – 199mg/dl diabetic – greater than 200mg/dl the standard diagnosis of diabetes is made when at least two separate blood tests show that your blood sugar is elevated. 80 to 120 normal. fasting : under 120 is normal over 120 is high two hrs after food testing: under 150 is normal over 150 is high. 80 to 100
what blood sugar levels are considered normal and what levels are diabetic?