A fasting blood sugar test, or fasting blood glucose test, is a method for discovering how much sugar, or glucose, there is in a sample of blood drawn from the body. The amount of sugar found indicates how well the body uses the sugar and can be an indicator of good health. This test is usually done to check for or monitor diabetes. Often, this is a primary and very important step in looking for diabetes or pre-diabetes. Usually no fasting is necessary for pregnant women to detect gestational diabetes.
Becoming aware of diabetes or onset of this condition is important as it can be very damaging to the body. Diabetes increases the risk of many serious problems such as blindness, the formation of a diabetic cataract, circulatory and nerve disorders, heart and artery problems, and kidney disease, even total failure of the kidneys.
When the test is done it is usually in the morning after a night’s sleep and no food or drinks have been ingested for at least eight hours. Because sugar levels in the blood increase after eating, this fasting test is reliable and usually quite accurate. For a diabetes diagnosis , this test must be done at least two different times. Normal range for the results of this test is between 70-110mg/dl and anything above 140 mg/dl indicates diabetes.
Other things are considered in this diagnosis, including a physical exam, medical history and symptoms, including frequent urination, vision problems like blurriness, increased appetite and thirst, and sudden weight loss.
Diabetes can be type 1 or type 2 and depends on if the blood glucose problem is due to insulin deficiency – 1 or insulin resistance – 2. Type 2 is the most common type. The fasting blood sugar test is important in the diagnosis of diabetes, and with diagnosis, treatment can be provided. The fasting test may be redone throughout treatment to monitor the diabetic condition and make sure it is being controlled as it should.
Thanks Actos. I’m glad you found this helpful. We don’t have any info on the saliva-based meters, but we’ll look into it. If it looks good, we’ll add an article on that topic. Thanks for bringing it to our attention!
Good breakdown – you covered the basics quickly and precisely. I’m looking for a way to test blood sugar without pricking my finger daily; have you heard any updates regarding the saliva based meters where you just stick the meter under your tongue for a moment, like a thermometer?
Thanks again.