Biomarkers · Glycemic & Metabolic
Fasting Plasma Glucose
Both low and high values go with higher risk of death. In NHANES 1999–2018 with linked mortality to 2019, each standard deviation above average goes with 18% higher risk of death. Risk rises at both ends: not comparable
Fasting Plasma Glucose and risk of death
NHANES, our fit with 95% CIPublished curve
Published curve higher than the NHANES fitNHANES fit higher
Risk of death relative to each curve's own reference value, so the two curves need not cross 1 at the same point. The dotted vertical line marks the NHANES median.
Risk of death per SD (NHANES)1.18×95% CI 1.15–1.21 · 23,756 adults, 3,510 deaths
Published risk of death1.13×each 18 mg/dL (1 mmol/L) increase in fasting glucose, within glucose levels of 100-199… (95% CI 1.12–1.13) · Korean adults who had health examinations 2001-2004, followed up until 2013 (n=12,455,361)
Across studies, risk per SD1.18×NHANES 1.18 [1.15–1.21] · CRELES 1.12 [1.02–1.22]
Fasting Plasma Glucose across cohorts
11.11.25HR per SD (95% CI)
NHANES · United States, 20–8423,756 people · 3,510 deaths1.18 1.15–1.21
CRELES · Costa Rica, 60+2,504 people · 479 deaths1.12 1.02–1.22
CHARLS · China, 50+7,004 people · 1,073 deaths1.17 1.10–1.23
Fasting Plasma Glucose by age and sex
Each bar runs from the 5th to the 95th percentile, the darker part from the 25th to the 75th, and the tick is the median. Not a reference range or a target.
The percentiles as a table
| Sex | Age | 5th | 25th | Median | 75th | 95th | n | Cycle / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 20-39 | 86.0 | 93.0 | 99.0 | 106 | 118 | 712 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| All | 40-59 | 89.0 | 98.0 | 104 | 112 | 178 | 775 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| All | 60+ | 91.0 | 101 | 110 | 122 | 186 | 928 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| All | all | 87.0 | 96.0 | 103 | 112 | 160 | 2,415 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Men | 20-39 | 86.1 | 95.0 | 100 | 107 | 118 | 336 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Men | 40-59 | 91.0 | 100 | 105 | 112 | 217 | 370 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Men | 60+ | 95.0 | 105 | 114 | 130 | 199 | 467 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Men | all | 89.0 | 99.0 | 105 | 114 | 174 | 1,173 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Women | 20-39 | 85.0 | 92.0 | 97.0 | 104 | 117 | 376 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Women | 40-59 | 87.0 | 96.0 | 102 | 111 | 158 | 405 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Women | 60+ | 90.3 | 98.0 | 106 | 119 | 162 | 461 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Women | all | 86.0 | 95.0 | 101 | 110 | 149 | 1,242 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
What studies found when this marker was changed
They describe what happened in those study groups, not a recommendation. See all catalogued interventions.
Measured changes in Fasting Plasma Glucose, study by study
7 effects with a numeric size, each from one study arm: the dot is the reported change, the line its 95% interval where one was given. Study results in the groups studied, not predictions for a person.
| Type | Intervention | Reported effect | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| diet | Mediterranean dietary pattern (type 2 diabetes) | Mediterranean diet lowered FPG by 0.845 mmol/L (95% CI -1.307 to -0.384) and HbA1c by 0.307% vs control diets | meta-analysis | Wu MJ, et al. Impact of the Mediterranean Diet on Glycemic Control, Body Mass… |
| diet | Time-restricted eating (≤12 h eating window) | Reduced fasting glucose by 0.30 mmol/l (CI -0.53 to -0.07); -0.48 mmol/l in type 2 diabetes (meta-analysis of RCTs) | meta-analysis | Viple F, et al. Effects of time-restricted eating on markers of glucose… |
| diet | Increasing daily dietary fibre intake (target ~35 g/day) without other dietary change in adults with prediabetes or diabetes | Fasting plasma glucose lower by 0.56 mmol/L (95% CI -0.73 to -0.38; 34 trials) with higher fibre intake | meta-analysis | Reynolds AN, Akerman AP, Mann J. PLoS Med. 2020. |
| diet | Intermittent fasting regimens (time-restricted or alternate-day/periodic fasting) versus a control diet in adults with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes | Fasting glucose lower by 0.36 mmol/L (95% CI -0.63 to -0.09) with intermittent fasting vs control diet | meta-analysis | Khalafi M, Habibi Maleki A, Symonds ME, et al. The effects of intermittent… |
| exercise | Post-prandial walking (10 min after each main meal) | Walking 10 min after each meal lowered postprandial glucose iAUC vs one daily 30-min walk (ratio 0.88, 95% CI 0.78, 0.99) | RCT | Reynolds AN, et al. Diabetologia. 2016;59:2572-2578. |
| exercise | Elastic-band resistance training in type 2 diabetes | Fasting plasma glucose MD -0.79 (95% CI -1.01 to -0.56) vs control across fourteen RCTs | meta-analysis | Zhu Y, et al. Effects of elastic-band resistance training on glycemic control… |
| exercise | Supervised aerobic exercise programme for 12 weeks in adults with prediabetes | Fasting plasma glucose decreased 6.17% after 12 weeks of aerobic exercise (P=0.001; P<0.001 vs control) | RCT | Luo X, Wang Z, Li B, et al. Effect of resistance vs. aerobic exercise in… |
| pharmacologic | Once-weekly semaglutide in type 2 diabetes | Fasting plasma glucose reduced by 1.33 mmol/L (95% CI 0.97 to 1.69) vs placebo or other antihyperglycaemic agents | meta-analysis | Li X, et al. The safety and efficacy of once-weekly glucagon-like peptide-1… |
| pharmacologic | Metformin therapy (500-2000 mg/day) in type 2 diabetes | Fasting plasma glucose 19 to 84 mg/dL lower than placebo at 500 to 2000 mg daily (type 2 diabetes) | RCT | Garber AJ, et al. Efficacy of metformin in type II diabetes: results of a… |
Things that worsen it
| Type | Condition or exposure | Reported effect | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| diet | Higher glycaemic index/load diet (vs low GI/GL diet) in diabetes | Higher fasting glucose than low GI/GL dietary patterns (low GI/GL reduced fasting glucose, P<0.05; effect size not reported) | meta-analysis | Chiavaroli L, et al. Effect of low glycaemic index or load dietary patterns on… |
| pharmacologic | Chronic glucocorticoid therapy (Prednisone / Dexamethasone) | Glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycemia in 32.3% and new diabetes in 18.6% of nondiabetic patients (13 studies) | meta-analysis | Liu XX, et al. Hyperglycemia induced by glucocorticoids in nondiabetic… |
| sleep | Severe obstructive sleep apnea with nocturnal hypoxemia | Moderate-severe SDB (≥15 events/h): OR 1.46 (95% CI 1.09-1.97) for fasting glucose intolerance; sleep hypoxemia independently associated | cross-sectional | Punjabi NM, et al. Sleep-disordered breathing, glucose intolerance, and insulin… |
Sources
- Risk curve: Yi 2017 (PMID 28811570): all-cause HR 1.13 (1.12-1.13) each 18 mg/dL (1 mmol/L) increase in fasting glucose, within glucose levels of 100-199 mg/dL. Scaled to US values (NHANES).
- Yi et al. Association between fasting glucose and all-cause mortality according to sex and age: a prospective cohort study. Scientific reports. 2017;7:8194.
- NHANES curve: our Cox model adjusted for age and sex, NHANES 1999–2018 with linked mortality to 2019.
Map Fasting Plasma Glucose against another biomarker · Featured: Fasting glucose × blood pressure.
Related markers: Fasting Serum Insulin · Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) · Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) · Proinsulin