1,5-Anhydroglucitol Unit Converter
1,5-Anhydroglucitol Unit Converter
Convert 1,5-anhydroglucitol between µg/mL, mg/L, mg/dL, µmol/L and mmol/L — and read the result the right way round, because this is the one glycaemic marker that falls when control worsens.
1,5-anhydroglucitol converter
µg/mL ⇄ µmol/L1,5-anhydroglucitol 14.0 µg/mL in an adult man
The conversion, and the formula behind it
µg/mL = µmol/L ÷ 6.09173
µg/mL = mg/L — the same quantity
mg/dL = µg/mL ÷ 10
- 164.157
- the molar mass of 1,5-anhydroglucitol, C6H12O5. HMDB gives 164.1565 and the formula sum from standard atomic weights gives 164.157
- C6H12O5, not C6H14O5
- the one way to get this factor wrong. Glucitol (sorbitol) is C6H14O6; the anhydro form has lost a water, so twelve hydrogens and five oxygens. C6H14O5 would give 166.17 and a factor 1.2% low
- direction
- the value FALLS as glycaemic control worsens, which is the opposite of HbA1c and fructosamine. A reader converting a result and then reading it as though higher were worse will reach the wrong conclusion in whichever unit they use
- µg/mL and mg/L
- numerically identical, so a report in either means the same thing. US laboratories report µg/mL; mg/L appears in the literature
Worked example
1,5-anhydroglucitol 14.0 µg/mL in an adult man
14.0 × 6.09173 = 85.3 µmol/L
= 14.0 mg/L = 1.40 mg/dL = 0.085 mmol/L
Inside Labcorp's male interval of 10.7–32.0 µg/mL (65.2–194.9 µmol/L), and above its stated diabetes goal of 10 µg/mL
Switch the group to female and it is still inside, because the female interval of 6.8–29.3 µg/mL runs lower — the two intervals differ enough that a result near either limit needs the right one
Had the same patient been started on an SGLT2 inhibitor, this number would be pushed down by glycosuria alone and could not be read as a glycaemic marker at all
Reference intervals and the diabetes goal, in both units
| Figure | µg/mL (= mg/L) | µmol/L |
|---|---|---|
| Adult male interval (Labcorp) | 10.7 – 32.0 | 65.2 – 194.9 |
| Adult female interval (Labcorp) | 6.8 – 29.3 | 41.4 – 178.5 |
| Glycaemic goal in diabetes (Labcorp) | above 10 | above 60.9 |
| Under 18 years | not established | not established |
What each glycaemic marker actually averages
| Marker | Window looked back over | Direction with worsening control |
|---|---|---|
| 1,5-anhydroglucitol | about 1–2 weeks | falls |
| Fructosamine | about 2–3 weeks | rises |
| HbA1c | about 8–12 weeks | rises |
A glycaemic marker that works by being lost
1,5-anhydroglucitol is a dietary polyol, structurally glucose with one hydroxyl replaced by hydrogen, that circulates at a stable concentration because the renal tubule reabsorbs almost all of it. That stability is the point. The transporter that reabsorbs it also handles glucose, and glucose outcompetes it, so as soon as plasma glucose exceeds the renal threshold — around 180 mg/dL, or 10 mmol/L — 1,5-anhydroglucitol is lost in the urine and the plasma level falls. It recovers over a week or two once the excursions stop.
This makes it a marker of hyperglycaemic excursions rather than of the mean. An HbA1c averages everything over two to three months and can be unremarkable in someone whose postprandial peaks are high and whose fasting glucose is low; 1,5-anhydroglucitol responds to the peaks specifically, and over a much shorter window. In practice it is used alongside HbA1c rather than instead of it, most usefully where the two disagree or where HbA1c itself is unreliable.
Three things make the result uninterpretable, and all three are common. The first is an SGLT2 inhibitor: these drugs cause glycosuria by design, which drives 1,5-anhydroglucitol down regardless of glycaemic control, and the test should not be used in anyone taking one. The second is advanced chronic kidney disease, which changes handling in both directions and makes the value unreliable. The third is pregnancy, in which the renal threshold for glucose falls and values run lower.
The arithmetic on this page is the easy part, and the reason the page exists is the direction. Converting 14 µg/mL to 85.3 µmol/L is a multiplication; remembering that 85.3 is a good number and 30 would be a bad one is the thing that decides the interpretation, because every other glycaemic marker runs the other way. Reference intervals are method- and laboratory-dependent, and the interval printed on your own report takes precedence over any figure here.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert 1,5-anhydroglucitol from µg/mL to µmol/L?
Multiply by 6.09173, from the molar mass of 164.157 Da. So 14.0 µg/mL is 85.3 µmol/L and 10.0 µg/mL — Labcorp’s stated diabetes goal — is 60.9 µmol/L. µg/mL and mg/L are numerically identical, so no arithmetic is needed between those two.
Is a low or a high 1,5-anhydroglucitol the abnormal result?
Low. This is the only common glycaemic marker that falls as control worsens, because it is lost in the urine once plasma glucose passes the renal threshold. Labcorp’s goal in diabetes is above 10 µg/mL. A high value is usually dietary rather than a finding.
Can it be used in someone on an SGLT2 inhibitor?
No. Empagliflozin, dapagliflozin, canagliflozin and the rest cause glycosuria at any plasma glucose, which blocks 1,5-anhydroglucitol reabsorption and drives the level down independently of glycaemic control. The result will look like poor control and cannot be corrected for.
How does it compare with HbA1c and fructosamine?
It looks back about one to two weeks, against two to three weeks for fructosamine and eight to twelve for HbA1c, and it is weighted towards hyperglycaemic excursions rather than the mean. Use it with the HbA1c to estimated average glucose converter rather than in place of it; where the two disagree, the disagreement is the information.
Why are the reference intervals different for men and women?
Because the observed distributions differ — Labcorp publishes 10.7 to 32.0 µg/mL for men and 6.8 to 29.3 µg/mL for women. The difference matters near the limits: 8 µg/mL is below the male interval and inside the female one. Intervals for under-18s are not established.
Related calculators
References
- Labcorp. Test 500115 — GlycoMark (1,5-anhydroglucitol). Reference intervals 10.7–32.0 µg/mL (male) and 6.8–29.3 µg/mL (female). Accessed October 2026.
- Human Metabolome Database. HMDB0002712 — 1,5-anhydrosorbitol. C6H12O5, average mass 164.1565, CAS 154-58-5.
- Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (IUPAC). Standard Atomic Weights, 2021. Used to re-derive every molecular weight from its formula.
- Assay package inserts and the issuing laboratory’s own report — reference intervals are method-dependent and the local interval governs.
Not medical advice. For healthcare professionals and education. Reference intervals vary by laboratory and assay — always use your own laboratory's. Never base a dose or a treatment decision on this page alone. Full disclaimer at calcengines.com/disclaimer/
