1,5-AG optimal range and reference range
Compiled by Alina Radu, founder of Sera, from the published sources below · Last reviewed November 9, 2026
Sera's bands for 1,5-AG, which differ for men and women:
- Female: Optimal 6.8 – 29.3 μg/mL; out of range below 6.8 μg/mL.
- Male: Optimal 10.7 – 32 μg/mL; out of range below 10.7 μg/mL.
Evidence grade: Published reference interval. A band that primarily reflects a published adult laboratory or population reference interval. It is not necessarily applicable to every assay or laboratory.
All units
| Unit | Applies to | Optimal | Sufficient | Out of range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| μg/mL | Female | 6.8 – 29.3 | — | below 6.8 |
| μg/mL | Male | 10.7 – 32 | — | below 10.7 |
No separate Sufficient band is currently defined for this marker.
Bounded on the low side only — a high result is not treated as out of range. A low result is the finding, from glucose spilling into the urine; a high result has no clinical meaning.
What the evidence says
The bands are Labcorp's adult intervals: 10.7 to 32.0 μg/mL for men and 6.8 to 29.3 for women. An independent US community study gives 8.4 to 28.7 for both sexes together. The low edge is the one that matters: 1,5-AG falls when glucose repeatedly passes about 180 mg/dL (10 mmol/L), so a low result signals glucose spikes over the past one to two weeks, and a high result is not flagged. It reads falsely low with SGLT2 inhibitors, in pregnancy and in advanced kidney or liver disease. No UK or European laboratory offering the test was found, and no source supports a narrower optimal range.
Sources
- GlycoMark (500115) — Labcorp, 2026 · Laboratory / reference-interval sourceAdult intervals: men 10.7 to 32.0 μg/mL, women 6.8 to 29.3 μg/mL. Sera's bands.
- Establishment of Community-Based Reference Intervals for Fructosamine, Glycated Albumin, and 1,5-Anhydroglucitol — Selvin E, Warren B, He X, Sacks DB, Saenger AK — Clinical Chemistry, 2018 · Peer-reviewed publicationAn independent US community interval (ARIC, 1,799 healthy adults): 8.4 to 28.7 μg/mL, with differences by sex. Confirms the order of both edges.
What 1,5-Anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG) measures
A sugar from food that the kidneys normally reabsorb. When glucose spills into the urine, it pushes 1,5-AG out with it, so the blood level falls.
A low result means blood sugar has been going above about 180 mg/dL (10 mmol/L), usually after meals, over the past one to two weeks. It catches spikes that HbA1c averages away. A high result is not a concern. It reads falsely low with SGLT2 inhibitor drugs, in pregnancy and in advanced kidney or liver disease.