Question:

I have excellent results of Cholesterol and Triglycerides.Following results are 10 hour fasting blood test results Total Cholestrol : 153 mg/DL HDL : 42mg/DL Triglycerides: 108mg/DL LDL : 89 mg/DL chol ratio: 3.6(cal) Alert: Glucose: 106 mg/DL

Question: Why my blood sugar above 99 mg/dl?. I follow excellent diet and fitness. Thanks.

Answer:

This is a difficult question to answer in isolation, without knowing the gender, age and other comorbidities of the patient. It is correct that in general, the lipid profile looks to be at goal for most patients. However, closer inspection of the glucose above 95-100 indicates possible insulin resistance and the lowish HDL, especially in a female patient, may indicate some features of the metabolic syndrome, the others being blood pressure, waist circumference, elevated triglycerides(150mg%) that can portend higher cardiovascular risk in the patient, and elevates the need for intensive lifestyle changes such as weight loss and increased physical activity.

The reason that the glucose is elevated can be due to a variety of factors- a family history of diabetes, especially, (diagnostic pre-diabetes blood sugar levels (between 95-126mg%), with or without the other features of metabolic syndrome, some medications, such as prednisone, can cause elevated blood sugar, and certainly lab error needs to be ruled out.

In summary, the lipid profile and the glucose or sugar level must be considered in the context of the whole patient for it to be fully meaningful.

For more information:

Go to the Quality Health Care and You – Diabetes health topic.