Hi all:

I am a healthy 52 year-old woman who has just been told that all her blood values are great except for my sugar which (in the doctor's words) is just a "smidge" high. Not sure what a smidge is but she's mailing me my results. She wants a retest in 3 months.

Before you tell me to lose weight, I am 5'1' and 115 lbs/ with a BMI of 22 so I am not overweight. I also run competitively and lift weights a couple of times a week.

Diet is pretty good. I only snack on fruit and healthy things, no candy, cake, cookies, chips, etc.

What is going on? Thanks.

Well. it doesn't seem like you need to diet. What does your doctor reccommend ? Best to follow doctor's advice.

Hi....can you give a few more details? Did you have nothing to eat or drink after midnight prior to having the test done? I'm assuming it was from blood drawn, right? (not a finger-stick). Or did you have a bit to eat or drink prior to having the test and if so, what was it? Do you have any family history of diabetes at all?

It could have easily been an error or due to something you ate or drank too close to the blood draw.

deena

No, I fasted from until after dinner time (around 7 PM the nightt before) until the next morning. My test was done around 9 AM.

The only thing I drank that night (we went out with friends) was a diet coke, that's it.

No family history of that I am aware.

Blood was drawn from my left arm.

L

I would wait until you have seen what your BSL's are before worrying -- meaning what number your blood sugar level is at. For most people, the normal levels falls between 5.0 (80) and 6.75 (108); but most doctors say anything under 7.0 or 112 is fine (as long as they are not too low, that is). It does vary by doctor; and some don't get concerned until it hits the 9.0's.

I'm surprised that if your doctor was that concerned that she wouldn't have already told you what she wants you to do; and first has taken a look at what you already eat and your lifestyle. You are not overweight, and you say you eat healthy, so maybe you should go back and see your doctor and ask her to explain things to you better, so you don't worry needlessly.

And btw, I read somewhere that some diet pops do have some sugar alcohols in them, so that may have elevated your BSL a wee bit, but not by much though ...

It could be that you are eating too much fruit. Fruit has a ton of sugars in it, as well as fruit juice.

I would wait to hear back from your Doctor before doing anything. It could be a mistake.

I would love to know exactly what the "smidge" was. I'm thinking it could not be much because if it was, she'd be repeating this test NOW instead of waiting 3 months.

I worked as an RN for many years and you'd be amazed at how many erroneous lab values come out of labs and also how all sorts of extraneous things, including meds, etc...can affect results. For example, eating poppy seeds on a bagel, etc. can apparently give one positive opiate results on a drug screen. We were often re-checking lab results for accuracy....and usually got different results.

I'm trying to think of the wording I could use to google this, as I think I could easily understand and explain explanations/possible causes to you. Unfortunately, you can't just ask a computer a question like you can a person/professional. Let me try, though...I'm thinking "causes of elevated blood sugar in a non-diabetic"? I'll let you know what I find.

deena

A preliminary bit of info:

Glucose levels vary before and after meals, and at various times of day; the definition of "normal" varies among medical professionals. In general, the normal range for most people (fasting adults) is about 80 to 110 mg/dl or 4 to 6 mmol/l. A subject with a consistent range above 126 mg/dl or 7 mmol/l is generally held to have hyperglycemia, whereas a consistent range below 70 mg/dl or 4 mmol/l is considered hypoglycemic. In fasting adults, blood plasma glucose should not exceed 126 mg/dl or 7 mmol/l. Sustained higher levels of blood sugar cause damage to the blood vessels and to the organs they supply, leading to the complications of diabetes.

Temporary hyperglycemia is often benign and asymptomatic. Blood glucose levels can rise well above normal for significant periods without producing any permanent effects or symptoms. However, chronic hyperglycemia at levels more than slightly above normal can produce a very wide variety of serious complications over a period of years, including kidney damage, neurological damage, cardiovascular damage, damage to the retina etc.

So apparently, they do stretch the upper parameter to above 126 mg/dl. And there would be ways to narrow down the origin....GTT (glucose tolerance test) and/or serum A1C results. And a "smidge" sounds to me like it's either an error, due to some sort of benign concomitant situation, or simply not even a problem...esp. if it is only a smidge and if it is not chronic. So I would certainly not overly-worry about this. I'd say you have an excellent chance of this turning out to be inconsequential or a non-issue.

And, additional possible causes:

Drugs:
Certain medications increase the risk of hyperglycemia, including beta blockers, epinephrine, thiazide diuretics, corticosteroids, niacin, pentamidine, protease inhibitors, L-asparaginase,[1] and some antipsychotic agents.[2] The acute administration of stimulants such as amphetamine typically produces hyperglycemia; chronic use, however, produces hypoglycemia.

Critical illness:
A high proportion of patients suffering an acute stress such as stroke or myocardial infarction may develop hyperglycemia, even in the absence of a diagnosis of diabetes. Human and animal studies suggest that this is not benign, and that stress-induced hyperglycemia is associated with a high risk of mortality after both stroke and myocardial infarction.[3]
Plasma glucose >120 mg/dl in the absence of diabetes is a clinical sign of sepsis.
Physical trauma, surgery and many forms of severe stress can temporarily increase glucose levels.

Physiological stress:
Hyperglycemia occurs naturally during times of infection and inflammation. When the body is stressed, endogenous catecholamines are released that - amongst other things - serve to raise the blood glucose levels. The amount of increase varies from person to person and from inflammatory response to response. As such, no patient with first-time hyperglycemia should be diagnosed immediately with diabetes if that patient is concomitantly ill with something else. Further testing, such as a fasting plasma glucose, random plasma glucose, or two-hour postprandial plasma glucose level, must be performed.

Thanks, guys. Ya'all made me feel a little better. :-)

I got my blood work results in the mail today. Normal glucose, with this lab anyway, is a range from 70-105. Mine measured 110. And that's another thing: some labs have a cut off of 100 (meaning anything over 100 is prediabetic or insulin-resistant), with some it's 105...talk about confusing.

All are in agreement, however, that anything 126 and over is full-blown diabetes.

So no, I do not have full-blown diabetes yet but I'm not thrilled about being in the prediabetic category, either.

That being said, she's sending me me for a glucose tolerance test. If I test positive, not sure what she'll do. I'll keep you posted to what she says.

PS: Fruit

Yes, I do eat a lot of fruit, about 4-5 servings a day: grapefruit, blueberries, papaya, sometimes canteloupe, apples, red grapes, bananas...those are the ones I like. I don't overdo, they're small portions. But if this is contributing to the elevated glucose reading, I may have to cut down. :-(

What is more likely the culprit is simple carbs....the highly processed ones, especially. And the low-fat items because they added lots of high-fructose corn syrup to make up for the removal of fat.....the "white items". They say to only shop the perimeter of the grocery store, and stay out of the aisles.

Now, does fruit raise blood sugar? Sure....but the natural fiber in it will slow-down the release of insulin into your bloodstream (from your pancreas)....and will have less of a tendency to over-work your pancreas...which can lead to hypoglycemia....and then pre-diabetes...and then diabetes.

So basically it is this......try to avoid carbs in general as much as you can....but do not really worry about the healthy, high-fiber ones. Definitely choose them over the simple, highly processed ones. It's good to eat fruit, vegetables, etc...even though they do have some carbs. Avoid the sugar, the high-fructose corn syrup....pretty much anything in a box....eat clean.

deena