BLOOD TEST · SMART CARE POLYCLINIC, DEIRA
Blood Sugar explained
A snapshot of the sugar in your blood at the moment the sample was taken.
What the Blood Sugar test measures
Measures the glucose circulating right now. Taken after a fast it is a standard diabetes screening test; at any other time it reflects what you last ate and when. The fasting values used to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes are defined in the American Diabetes Association Standards of Care.1
What the result tells you
A raised fasting result
One of the ways diabetes and prediabetes are identified — read alongside HbA1c rather than instead of it.
Why one high reading is not a diagnosis
Illness, stress, steroids and a broken fast all raise it. An unexpected result is repeated before anything is concluded.
The two tests answer different questions
Glucose asks about this moment; HbA1c asks about the last three months. A doctor looks at both.
If it's low
Uncommon in someone not on diabetes medication and usually explained by the fast. In someone taking insulin or certain tablets it matters a great deal more.
How to prepare
- Fasting
- 8–12 hours for a fasting glucose
- Best time
- Morning, so the fast falls overnight
- Worth knowing
- Water only during the fast. Take your usual medicines unless told otherwise, and tell the nurse when you last ate.
What can move the result
A result outside the usual range does not on its own mean something is wrong. These are the everyday explanations a doctor considers first.
Packages that include it
Frequently asked questions
Measures the glucose circulating right now. Taken after a fast it is a standard diabetes screening test; at any other time it reflects what you last ate and when. The fasting values used to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes are defined in the American Diabetes Association Standards of Care. A raised fasting result: One of the ways diabetes and prediabetes are identified — read alongside HbA1c rather than instead of it.
Fasting: 8–12 hours for a fasting glucose. Best time: Morning, so the fast falls overnight. Water only during the fast. Take your usual medicines unless told otherwise, and tell the nurse when you last ate.
Commonly: when and what you last ate; how complete the fast actually was; acute illness or significant stress; steroid medicines; diabetes treatment, in either direction. A single result is not a diagnosis. Values are read against the laboratory's own reference range and alongside your history, your symptoms and the rest of the panel — which is why every package includes a doctor to go through them with you.
At Smart Care Polyclinic, 29 Doha Centre, Al Maktoum Rd, Deira, Dubai. It is included in the Smart Total Health, the Smart Total Health 360°, the Smart Extra Health, the Diabetic Panel, or it can be ordered on its own. Walk in during opening hours or call +971 (0)4 379 3562.
Sources
Written from current guidance and reviewed 31 August 2026.
Sources cited above
- American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. 2. Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2025. Diabetes Care. 2025;48(Suppl 1):S27-S49. PMID 39651986. doi:10.2337/dc25-S002The American Diabetes Association standard defining the HbA1c and glucose thresholds used to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes.
Sources are listed for the specific statements they support. They are published research and guidance, not a substitute for a consultation — what applies to you is decided by a doctor who has assessed you.
- Standards of Care in Diabetes: diagnosisAmerican Diabetes Association
- Diabetes diagnostic criteriaWorld Health Organization
- Blood glucose testMedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine