Peter Attia’s glucose framework is less about whether a number is technically “normal” and more about maintaining low average glucose, small post-meal excursions, and low variability.
His rough targets are: fasting glucose in the 80s, average glucose below 100 mg/dL, standard deviation below ~15 mg/dL, and very few—ideally no—excursions above 140 mg/dL. A single fasting reading matters less than the overall pattern, since sleep, stress, illness, cortisol, and the dawn phenomenon can temporarily raise glucose.
For meals, 140 mg/dL is better viewed as a ceiling than a target. A curve like 88 → 110 → 95 → 88 is preferable to 88 → 155 → 105 → 68, even if both produce a similar daily average. The first shows a modest rise and smooth recovery; the second shows high variability and a possible post-meal crash.
The drop after eating is not inherently bad. Glucose should return toward baseline. The concern is overshooting well below baseline, particularly after a large spike. Large post-meal dips may also correlate with greater hunger and subsequent food intake.
The simplest Attia-style summary is:
Low baseline → modest post-meal rise → smooth return to baseline.
| Metric | Rough target |
|---|---|
| Fasting glucose | ~75–89 mg/dL |
| 24-hour average | <100 mg/dL |
| Standard deviation | <15 mg/dL |
| Post-meal peaks | Preferably well below 140 mg/dL |
| >140 excursions | Very rare or none |
The goal is not merely low glucose. It is low, stable glucose with minimal swings.
Leave a comment