Prediabetes is your body’s early warning sign that glucose is starting to rise above healthy levels. It’s a signal that your insulin isn’t working as efficiently as it should, and unless you take action, there’s a strong chance it could progress to type 2 diabetes.
Understanding the blood glucose ranges that define prediabetes in Australia can help you catch it early, take action, and even reverse the trend.
How Is Prediabetes Diagnosed in Australia?
In Australia, prediabetes is diagnosed using one of the following three criteria:
- Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG)
- Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT)
- Raised HbA1c
Let’s look at each in more detail.
Fasting Blood Glucose (Impaired Fasting Glucose)
- Normal: 3.0–5.4 mmol/L
- Borderline: 5.5 and 6.0 mmol/L
- Impaired Fasting Glucose (Prediabetes): 6.1–6.9 mmol/L
- Type 2 Diabetes: ≥7.0 mmol/L
Note: Levels between 5.5 and 6.0 mmol/L are considered borderline and may indicate early insulin resistance, especially when combined with other risk factors. But, you won’t be “diagnosed” prediabetes if your fasting glucose is between 5.5 and 6.0 mmol/L.
Fasting blood glucose measures how much glucose is circulating in your bloodstream after an overnight fast of at least 8 hours. Elevated levels here often point to insulin resistance in the liver.
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (Impaired Glucose Tolerance)
- Normal (2-hour reading): <7.8 mmol/L
- Impaired Glucose Tolerance (Prediabetes): 7.8–11.0 mmol/L
- Type 2 Diabetes: ≥11.1 mmol/L
This test measures your blood sugar response two hours after consuming a 75g glucose drink. It’s especially useful for picking up early issues that may not appear on fasting tests.
HbA1c (Glycated Haemoglobin)
- Normal: < 6.0% (42 mmol/mol)
- Prediabetes: 6.0 – 6.4% (42 – 47 mmol/mol)
- Type 2 Diabetes: ≥ 6.5% (48 mmol/mol)
HbA1c, also known as haemoglobin A1c, reflects your average blood glucose levels over the past 8–12 weeks. While it’s convenient (no fasting required), it may miss early glucose spikes or be less reliable in certain medical conditions like anaemia.
What Does It Mean If You’re in the Prediabetes Range?
Being in the prediabetes range means your blood sugar is higher than it should be, but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis. It doesn’t mean you will get diabetes, but without changes, your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is significantly increased.
Fortunately, early intervention works. Clinical evidence, and over 10 years experience, shows that with the right nutrition changes, physical activity and support, you can bring your numbers back into the normal range and prevent type 2 diabetes altogether.
Why This Stage Is So Important
Roughly 1 in 6 Australian adults over 25 has prediabetes, and most have no idea. There are usually no obvious symptoms, which means many people are walking around with elevated blood sugar without knowing it.
This is the crucial window to act. You can’t change what you don’t measure, so getting the right tests and understanding the results is a powerful first step.
Takeaway
The Australian prediabetes ranges give a clear framework for identifying when your blood glucose is heading in the wrong direction. If your numbers fall in the prediabetes range, don’t ignore them. If they are borderline, don’t ignore them!
This is your chance to reverse course and avoid long-term complications.
With practical steps, like lowering carbohydrate intake, improving meal timing, and increasing movement, you can take control of your health and start seeing improvements quickly.
If you need help to reverse prediabetes, join our proven Prediabetes Reset Program!
Our members are achieving normal blood glucose within 3-6 months, you can too.
As a result of the information and encouragement I received from Dr. Jedha and the DMP program, I went from an A1c of 6.3 in February to an A1c of 5.8 in April — another month later it went down to 5.7! The program works! I am so grateful for this program in helping me regain a sense of empowerment. ~Ann
