What is prediabetes?

According to Dr. Carlos Ventura, an internal medicine provider, prediabetes means blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be considered diabetes.

There are two ways to measure blood sugar: a glucose test and an A1C test.

Glucose (sugar) levels range as follows:

Normal: 70 to 99 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
Prediabetes: 100 mg/dL to 125 mg/dL
Diabetes: 126+ mg/dL

A1C (known as glycosylated hemoglobin) is a protein in red blood cells. It attaches to glucose as it circulates in your blood for about two months.

A glucose test tells you your blood sugar level at that moment, but an A1C test gives your average blood sugar level for the past two months.

A1C levels range as follows:

Normal: 5.5% or lower
Prediabetes: 5.6% to 6.4%
Diabetes: 6.5% and higher

Have a conversation with your care team to determine if you have prediabetes.