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Goal-setting for diabetics: What is a ‘normal’ glucose level?

DEAR DR. ROACH: All my friends who are hypertensive have been able to bring their blood pressure to 120/80 or less. However, I have diabetic friends who are taking several diabetic drugs but none has been able to bring the fasting glucose levels to the ideal amount, around 85. As a matter of fact, none is even near 100. Is this situation common? Why is it so hard to lower the fasting glucose levels? — R.I.

ANSWER: The “ideal” level for neither blood pressure nor blood sugar is known for certain across all age groups and risk levels. The consensus opinion for the best goal has changed over time, depends on a person’s situation, and isn’t even agreed upon by all experts.

However, there is indeed increasing evidence that blood pressure, at least for people at higher risk for heart disease, should be in the low range of 120/80. The medications we have now are very effective at getting the blood pressure down, with a low risk of side effects, for most people, even if without a very healthy lifestyle, including diet, exercise and stress.

Diabetes control can be measured by fasting glucose, but a better predictor of diabetes complications is the hemoglobin A1C. It is affected by both fasting and non-fasting glucose, and looks at overall blood sugars over the preceding weeks to months. Some people have low fasting sugars but extremely high sugars after eating.

The A1C level in a person without diabetes is normally between 4% and 5.6%. That’s an AVERAGE (not fasting) blood sugar of 70 to 126 mg/dL. However, it’s not recommended for most older Type 2 diabetics to have an A1C level that low. Part of the reason is that people with an A1C that low are at risk for having so low a blood glucose that they can develop symptoms of hypoglycemia. Extremely low blood sugars are very dangerous for a person taking diabetes medication.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu or request an order form of available health newsletters or mail questions to P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

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