Clinical takeaways
- Fasting glucose: daily snapshot, noisy, best read as 7-day averages.
- Post-meal glucose: reflects meals and activity most directly.
- A1C: about a three-month average; the fairest single test at day 90.
- Normal fasting is under 100 mg/dL; 100 to 125 is prediabetes; 126+ twice is diabetes.
Fasting glucose
Measured after at least eight hours without food, usually on waking. Healthy values are under 100 mg/dL; 100 to 125 is the prediabetes range; 126 or more on two occasions meets the diagnostic threshold for diabetes.[1] Home meters vary by up to 15% from lab values, and your own readings can move 10 to 15 points day to day with sleep, stress and the previous evening's meal. That is why single readings mislead and 7-day averages work.
Post-meal glucose
Measured one to two hours after eating. It responds fastest to what you eat and to activity: a short walk after the meal lowers it measurably.[2] If you want to see whether something changes your response, test the same meal on several days before and after.
A1C
A1C measures the share of hemoglobin carrying glucose and reflects about three months of averages. Under 5.7% is normal, 5.7 to 6.4% is prediabetes, and 6.5% or more indicates diabetes.[1] Because red cells live about 120 days, A1C barely moves in a month. Day 90 is the earliest fair check.
A fair 90-day plan for any supplement
- Week 0: seven mornings of fasting readings, no supplement. Note the average.
- Weeks 1 to 7: take it as labelled; keep meals, activity and sleep steady; keep logging.
- Day 50: compare the latest 7-day average with week 0. Decide whether to keep going while the refund window is open.
- Day 90: ask for an A1C if you continued.
When numbers need a clinician, not a supplement
Fasting readings repeatedly at 126 or more, or symptoms like thirst, frequent urination and weight loss, need a medical assessment.[3] Readings under 70 mg/dL, especially on medication, are a safety issue.[4]
The protocol calculator maps these windows onto your pack and delivery date.