Blood Sugar 173 mg/dl — Too High? Fasting & After Eating

Can readings like 173 ever go away for good?

For some people with type 2 diabetes, yes, at least for a long time. Since 2021, an international expert group including ADA has used a shared definition: remission means an A1C below 6.5 % that stays there for at least three months after all glucose-lowering medicine has been stopped.

The word was chosen on purpose instead of “cure.” The tendency toward high glucose usually remains, and it can come back, especially if weight returns. People in remission still need regular A1C tests, and they still need eye, kidney and foot checks, because damage that began before remission does not simply disappear.

What makes remission more likely

The strongest driver is substantial weight loss. In type 2 diabetes, extra fat often builds up in the liver and around the pancreas. Losing a significant amount of weight reduces that fat, the liver responds better to insulin, and in some people the pancreas recovers part of its ability to release insulin.

Remission is more likely when:

• Diabetes was diagnosed recently, often within the last few years
• The weight loss is large and maintained
• The pancreas still makes a fair amount of insulin

Routes that have produced remission include structured low-calorie programs with medical supervision, weight-loss surgery, and in some people, sustained changes in diet and activity on their own. Newer weight-loss medicines can also produce large weight loss, but while someone is still taking them, the strict definition of remission is not met, because they also lower glucose directly.

Why remission is not the right yardstick for everyone

Remission is a realistic goal for some, but not for all, and not reaching it is not a failure. After many years of type 2 diabetes, the pancreas has often lost too much function. People with type 1 diabetes, or LADA, a slow-onset autoimmune form, need insulin because the body has stopped making enough, so remission does not apply in the same way.

Some medicines are also kept for reasons beyond glucose. A drug that protects the heart or kidneys may be worth continuing even when readings are low, and that decision belongs to the person and their doctor together.

From the 170s to under the line

An A1C under 6.5 % corresponds to an average glucose under about 140. Going from regular readings around 173 to that level usually happens step by step: medicine and lifestyle changes bring numbers down first, and only when they are stable does the doctor consider reducing or stopping medicine while watching readings closely. During that phase, home readings and an A1C every few months show whether the body is holding steady without the help it had before. Keeping a simple log of weight, fasting values and the occasional after-meal reading makes those conversations with the doctor more concrete. The how to lower blood sugar page covers the everyday changes that support this.