3 values
Blood Sugar Tests: Fasting, PP and HbA1c
Three tests, three different questions. Fasting sugar asks how the body manages glucose at rest, the post-prandial value asks how it copes with a meal, and HbA1c asks what the last two to three months have looked like. Any one of them alone can be reassuring while another is not.
When it is ordered
Ordered from mid-life onward, earlier with a family history, excess weight or in pregnancy. Fasting sugar needs 8–12 hours without food; the PP sample is timed two hours from the first bite; HbA1c needs no fasting at all.
Every line on the report
| Test | Typical range | Unit | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fasting Blood Sugar | 70–100 | mg/dL | Measured after 8–12 hours without food. The standard screen for diabetes. |
| Post Prandial Blood Sugar | 70–140 | mg/dL | Measured two hours from the first bite. Often rises years before the fasting value does. |
| HbA1c | 4–5.6 | % | An average of the last two to three months, so a single good week cannot flatter it. |
Ranges differ between laboratories. These are the values commonly printed on adult reports in India — always compare against the range printed on your own report, next to your own result.
How the values are read together
- The PP value often moves first. In many people it rises years before the fasting number does, so a normal fasting sugar alone can be falsely reassuring.
- HbA1c cannot be crammed for. It averages months, so a careful week before the test changes it very little — which is exactly what makes it useful.
- Diagnosis is not made on one reading. An abnormal result is confirmed on a repeat test before it means anything.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a normal fasting blood sugar level?
Under 100 mg/dL. Between 100 and 125 suggests prediabetes, and 126 or above on a repeat test suggests diabetes.
What should sugar be two hours after eating?
Under 140 mg/dL two hours from the first bite. Between 140 and 199 suggests prediabetes, and 200 or above suggests diabetes when confirmed.
Can prediabetes be reversed?
Often. Weight loss, cutting sugar and refined carbohydrate, and regular activity return many people's numbers to normal — which is why catching it early is worth the test.