Post by Steve on Mar 31, 2017 11:33:22 GMT -8
As a diabetic, you certainly know that the cryptic A1c is the main tool used to keep an eye on how you're doing in your efforts to control the disease. It becomes a standard part of your life, every 90 days like clockwork, a blood draw and a few days later, the doctor tells you a number.
Have you ever wondered what A1c is all about? Well here is the short version: Hemoglobin is the red cells in blood. A protein, 92 percent is Hemoglobin A (A for Adult) and 8 percent other components: hemoglobin A1b, A1c, A1a1, and A1c2. It is the A1c that glucose attaches to, becoming glycated A1c. Red cells only last for about three months, so every day some die off and are replaced. New cells become glycated and become part of a record of glucose levels over time.
When the blood is tested, the A1c parts of the red cells carry a unique chemical charge, and in a lab test, the blood can be made to separate into layers, the glycated layer percentage can be calculated. If it is under 6% of the total hemoglobin, it is good news, that's normal. From 6% to 7% is prediabetic, above 7%, full diabetes. The higher the number, the more work needed to drop it down.
Interesting that daily finger pokes show us the estimated average glucose (eAG) of that moment, and of course those numbers fluctuate with every hour of the day, but a blood sample for the A1c test is not affected by having eaten or not! So an A1c test can be done at any time,
I encourage you to read about just how HbA1c is used to calculate the percentage of your blood that is glycated! It's really interesting. Here is the page. It will make you feel better about an A1c of 6.9![1] Here is the page.
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1. When I was tracking my numbers from fasting readings mostly, my predicted A1c was going to be 5.9. I was feeling pretty confident. But the result was a 6.9, and while my doctor was delighted, I was mad! Then I thought it over, realized I was missing the highs of the past 90 days, and now I am glad to have a better idea of what's what.
It might interest you that while Diabetes mellitus has been known for 2000 years, the A1c test has only been known as a way to measure the severity since about 1999! Check it out. Amazing.
Have you ever wondered what A1c is all about? Well here is the short version: Hemoglobin is the red cells in blood. A protein, 92 percent is Hemoglobin A (A for Adult) and 8 percent other components: hemoglobin A1b, A1c, A1a1, and A1c2. It is the A1c that glucose attaches to, becoming glycated A1c. Red cells only last for about three months, so every day some die off and are replaced. New cells become glycated and become part of a record of glucose levels over time.
When the blood is tested, the A1c parts of the red cells carry a unique chemical charge, and in a lab test, the blood can be made to separate into layers, the glycated layer percentage can be calculated. If it is under 6% of the total hemoglobin, it is good news, that's normal. From 6% to 7% is prediabetic, above 7%, full diabetes. The higher the number, the more work needed to drop it down.
Interesting that daily finger pokes show us the estimated average glucose (eAG) of that moment, and of course those numbers fluctuate with every hour of the day, but a blood sample for the A1c test is not affected by having eaten or not! So an A1c test can be done at any time,
I encourage you to read about just how HbA1c is used to calculate the percentage of your blood that is glycated! It's really interesting. Here is the page. It will make you feel better about an A1c of 6.9![1] Here is the page.
- - -
1. When I was tracking my numbers from fasting readings mostly, my predicted A1c was going to be 5.9. I was feeling pretty confident. But the result was a 6.9, and while my doctor was delighted, I was mad! Then I thought it over, realized I was missing the highs of the past 90 days, and now I am glad to have a better idea of what's what.
It might interest you that while Diabetes mellitus has been known for 2000 years, the A1c test has only been known as a way to measure the severity since about 1999! Check it out. Amazing.