Normal Glucose Range for a Diabetic Patient

Blood glucose is another term for blood sugar. The level of glucose in a diabetic's blood must be measured and regulated in order to prevent the development of a number of body damaging side effects.

Normal Levels

• For people without diabetes, a blood sugar reading should be approximately 70 to 120 mg/dl. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) issued a recommendation that diabetics should try to achieve an average glucose of less than 154 mg/dl.

Before Eating

• Glucose levels should fall within the range of 70 to 130 mg/dl before eating. Health care experts believe that better control of blood sugar levels (keeping to readings which fall within these ranges) will prevent some of the nerve, kidney and blood vessel damage that stems from accumulated glucose in the blood.

Following Meals

• After a meal, readings should be 180 mg/dl at the maximum. It takes between one and two hours for blood sugar levels to return to normal after a meal.

Fasting

• A fasting test involves consuming no food or liquids (except water) for 8 hours prior to testing. Normal fasting levels are 70 to 110 mg/dl; readings of 126 mg/dl over two or more tests indicate diabetes (this was lowered from the old value of 140 mg/dl in 1997).

Random

• Random blood sugar should fall between 100 to 150 mg/dl. If a random reading shows 200 mg/dl or more, it may mean you have diabetes; physicians may then explore further testing.

Oral Glucose Tolerance

• The oral glucose tolerance test involves an overnight fast, followed by a drink of sugar water. A physician will then initiate several blood sugar tests over a period of hours, looking for levels that increase to a point higher than normal, then fall slowly. Again, if your reading is in excess of 200 mg/dl, diabetes is suspected.