Does height, weight and age having anything to do with where your blood sugar level should be? I have a male friend who is about 52 years old. He was telling me his doctor and his wife's doctor told him his sugar levels always being around 150 is OK, even though he's on medication. They told him that with his height and weight, it is good. However, he doesn't feel good. He has tried and tried but can not get his sugar down to or below 120.

Patty Bonsignore


Blood glucose target levels do not change based on a person’s sex, height or weight. In general, the target for most people with diabetes before meals is 70-130 and less than 180 two hours after meals . The bedtime goal for most people with diabetes is 90-150. Sometimes older adults (over 70) are given higher blood glucose targets if , for example, the person is frail, at risk for falls or has a lot of other serious health problems. Higher targets may also be set for younger adults who have a history of cardiovascular disease, such as stroke or heart attack. For someone who is 52 years old and in relatively good health, a target of 150 is okay if this represents post-meal readings, however, if he is averaging 150 before meals, then this number is too high. A better indicator of diabetes control is the A1C test. The A1C provides an average of all the blood glucose levels over the past 2- 3 months. The A1C goal for most people with diabetes is less than 7%. Have your friend ask his healthcare provider about his A1C number. If it is less than 7%, then an occasional blood glucose reading over 150 will not hurt him. If it is over 7% then it will be important to have a further discussion with his provider about how to get it lower.

October 19, 2012 at 7:01 pm