to identify subjects with impaired fasting glucose (IFG), from a group of apparently healthy individuals.a cross-sectional study was undertaken in 1188 blood donors, with no family history of diabetes (T2D). All these individuals were subjected to a questionnaire, and biochemical tests.the prevalence of IFG was 15.9 %, 17.1 % in men and 12.9 % in women. The average blood glucose levels in subjects with IFG were 107.2 + or - 6.5 mg/dL in men and 106.0 + or - 6.1 mg/dL in women. Sixty percent of individuals with IFG showed insulin resistance. The diagnosis of metabolic syndrome (MS) in IFG subjects was 20.2 %, according to the NCEP/ATP III criteria, 21.4 % according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria; and 29.3 % according to the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute criteria. Seventy percent of the subjects with IFG showed hypertriglyceridemia, 51 % showed hypercholesterolemia and 85 % were over-weight or obese.the prevalence of IFG was higher than expected, comparing with other populations reported in the literature. These apparently healthy subjects were not previously diagnosed and therefore have not received preventive actions to arrest the risk of T2D.