Is borderline fasting hyperglycemia a risk factor for cardiovascular death?
The majority of previously reported studies of borderline hyperglycemia as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease are based on post-challenge glucose levels, are limited to men, and show either no significant association or a possible threshold effect. In order to determine whether fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in the normal range (less than 140 mg/dl) predicts mortality, we prospectively studied a geographically defined Southern California community of 3625 nondiabetic men and women aged 40-79, 99.5% of whom were followed for 9 years. Levels of FPG were significantly associated with levels of most heart disease risk factors. After adjusting for these risk factors, FPG, analyzed either as a continuous or categorical variable, was independently and significantly associated with all-cause, cardiovascular and ischemic heart disease mortality in men in proportional hazard models. An excess of all-cause mortality with the highest levels of FPG (130-139 mg/dl) was the only statistically sig
