What is Hemoglobin A1C?
If you are pre-diabetic, diabetic or at risk of developing diabetes, your healthcare provider may have mentioned your hemoglobin A1C levels.
But, do you even know what HbA1C is? Let me explain.
Your red blood cells contain a protein known as hemoglobin which is responsible for carrying oxygen throughout our body. Glucose (aka sugar) also travels through your blood stream and can bind with hemoglobin. The union of the 2 is what is referred to hemoglobin A1C or glycosylated hemoglobin.
The way it is measured is through an A1C test which measures your average blood sugar levels over a 2 to 3 month period. A level of 5.7% or below is normal. From 5.8 to 6.5% you are considered pre-diabetic and anything over 6.5% is diagnosed as diabetes.
You should know that diabetes increases your risk of:
Heart disease
Kidney disease
Cancer
Nerve pain/damage
Eye disease and vision loss
Here’s what you should do if your HbA1C is higher than average:
Take a good look at your diet. Avoid bread, rice, pasta, candy, sugars, processed foods and alcohol. Incorporate more veggies, berries and clean proteins.
Get moving. Exercise has been proven to lower A1C levels but you must know what exercise is best for you.
Shed the extra weight if needed.
Manage stressors. Stress can directly impact your blood sugar because when the body is stressed it produces cortisol and that increase your blood sugar levels.
Get some sleep.
Find the root cause of your diabetes or pre-diabetes. There are many triggers and it’s not always what you have been told…being overweight, genetic, or lack of exercise.
If you or a loved one is struggling with blood sugar issues, we can help. Insulin resistance and unregulated blood sugar should be taken seriously as there is overwhelming evidence that the long term consequences can lead to irreversible damage.
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