Background
We investigated the associations between fasting glucose level ranges with lifestyle factors and metabolic profiles among adults without previous diagnosis of diabetes.
Methods
We analyzed 13 625 adults without previous diagnosis of diabetes from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2016 to 2018. We categorized fasting glucose levels (mg/dl) as follows: <90, 90 to 99, 100 to 109, 110 to 124, and ≥125. We evaluated trends in the proportions of individuals with obesity, abdominal, obesity, current smoking, heavy drinking, and low physical activity according to these categories, and the odds for uncontrolled blood pressure (BP), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), triglycerides (TG), and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) for each fasting glucose level compared to a fasting glucose level of <90 mg/dl.
Results
The proportions of individuals with obesity, abdominal obesity, and heavy drinking increased according to fasting glucose level (P for trend <.05). The odds for BP ≥140/90 mm Hg, TG ≥150 mg/dl, HDL‐C < 40 mg/dl in men, and HDL‐C < 50 mg/dl in women increased with increasing fasting glucose levels; however, the odds for LDL‐C ≥ 130 mg/dl increased with increasing fasting glucose levels only in women. The increases in odds for uncontrolled BP and lipid profiles were mostly observed for fasting glucose levels ≥90 mg/dl.
Conclusions
Efforts are needed to prevent increased fasting glucose levels, as higher levels, even within normal range, were associated with poor metabolic profiles.