Ask the Diabetes Educator Archive

Q:

I recently had a complete blood test, fasting overnight, and my glucose reading was 122. My doctor said to watch my diet as I could get diabetes, type 2. He did not give me any range as to whether 122 was good, bad or where it stood in a scale. Can you enlighten me? I am 69 years young.

A:

You are "just under the wire" with the cutoff point: two fasting levels of 126 mg/dl is a diagnosis for diabetes. Paying close attention to your lifestyle now in terms of what you eat and how active you are will put you ahead in controlling this state of insulin resistance that you are presently in. Generally, the goal is to be less than 100 in the fasting state.