New Delhi. People with a fasting blood sugar level of 100–125 mg/dl had an adjusted nearly 300% increase higher risk of having coronary heart disease than people with a level below 79 mg/dl, said  Dr KK Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India.

A fasting blood sugar level of more than 125 mg/dl is the current threshold for identifying patients with diabetes. But, a cross–sectional study of nearly 2500 people suggests that patients with high levels of blood sugar in the nondiabetic range face a substantial risk of coronary heart disease.

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation now uses a fasting blood sugar of 90 mg/dl or higher as a biomarker of coronary heart disease risk. These patients need intervention with exercise, diet and weight control. The previous cutoff of 125 mg/dl was based on the incidence of diabetic retinopathy, but physicians now increasingly focus on the diabetes–related risk of coronary heart disease. As evidence continues to grow in this area it is likely that the definition of diabetes will change. Heart Care Foundation of India recommends keeping fasting blood sugar below 80 mg%.