A good general guideline is: If your A1c is below 6-7%, focusing on increasing your time-in-range will probably have a larger positive health impact than lowering your A1c further. A normal A1c level is below 5.7 percent.. The key is to understand how different types of exercise affect blood sugars and, if you use insulin, learn your formula for insulin and food around workouts. My primary care physician advised me to do nothing and re-check the A1C in one year. Did I do anything wrong? It is very important to realize that we all react differently to carbs so you have to find the diet and foods that are right for you. Insufficient iron in your diet can lead to iron deficiency anemia, a condition characterized by symptoms like weakness, fatigue, paler skin than usual, and shortness of breath. Good luck with it, Granny. Others may need adjustments to insulin dosing, etc. On average, the experts didnt expect the general diabetes population to be in range more than 50% of the time at most, so talking about incremental improvement probably makes more sense than setting a fixed number. He is the co-host of the annual Mastering Diabetes Online Summit, a featured speaker at the Plant-Based Nutrition and Healthcare Conference (PBNHC), the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Conference (ACLM), Plant Stock, the Torrance Memorial Medical Center, and has been featured on The Doctors, NPR, KQED, Forks Over Knives, Healthline, Fast Company, Diet Fiction, and the wildly popular podcasts the Rich Roll Podcast, Plant Proof, MindBodyGreen, and Nutrition Rounds. If you have diabetes, your treatment goals will target a certain A1C level. Time-in-range refers to the percentage of time in which your blood sugar is within a specific range. However, what you might not realize is that even the most positive life events can also be a source of stress. Exercise. In their Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends an A1c target of below 7% for adults living with diabetes. For 7 weeks Ive been on a special diabetes reversal diet I found. The A1c test determines the average blood sugar levels during the previous 2-3 months. I have a very ambivalent relationship with my A1c myself. But generally, people who start out with higher A1Cs tend to see greater reductions than those who have lower numbers to work with. Iron deficiency anemia. Annals of Internal Medicine, March 2018. If you take any of the medications listed above, talk with a doctor about the potential effects on blood sugar levels. A blood glucose test determines the amount of sugar (or glucose) in a person's blood. I decided to get a home A1c test from Walgreens. The downside of the home kits is that they require a larger amount of blood (four large drops) than a regular blood sugar test, and if you dont apply enough blood, youll get an error message and will have lost a test strip. For example, according to one 2013 research review, high levels of vitamin E can falsely elevate A1C levels. A1C levels can fluctuate because of vitamin deficiencies, supplements, stress, lack of sleep, and more. You can find home test kits on Amazon and in some pharmacies. How much can your A1C drop in 3 months? In early diabetics, the drop occurs much more rapidly as the blood sugar level remains relatively higher during the early stages before treatment. Whereas cardio will lower blood sugar during exercise and potentially up to 36 hours after exercise, resistance training can increase insulin sensitivity for much longer since muscles work as little glucose tanks and youll store more glucose in your muscles rather than sending it directly to your bloodstream. People with diabetes need to check their blood glucose levels regularly. About a year later my dr never tested me again since I had not been back to see him. It's one of the commonly used tests to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes, and is also the main test to help you and your health care team manage your diabetes. The lower your A1c, the more important time-in-range becomes. 2015 2023 Diabetes Strong. Cyrus Khambatta, PhD is a New York Times bestselling co-author of Mastering Diabetes: The Revolutionary Method to Reverse Insulin Resistance Permanently in Type 1, Type 1.5, Type 2, Prediabetes, and Gestational Diabetes. If this occurs, place the device back into the cartridge casing, press firmly on the top until well mixed, and then read the result. Ask any good endocrinologist, the wisdom is to bring numbers down slowly, and its not nonsense when insulin is involved or just based on the potential for hypos. Some vitamins, minerals, and supplements on the market can be good for your health. Why Yours Can too! BONUS! I hope this guide has given you the knowledge and tools to do so! I was over 13. He is the co-author of many peer-reviewed scientific publications. Sleep deprivation. You can see more details about her health improvements in the chart below: Tina no longer feels like a victim, and instead feels like she has some control over her health. Latent autoimmune diabetes. However, when it comes to blood sugar control in diabetes, we have tended to treat the number, thinking that a lower number would equal better health. By now, you may be well attuned to how your day-to-day activities impact your blood sugar. FEAST GLUCOSE 86. (2022). I was afraid to see the results. All three lines show an average blood sugar of about 154 mg/dl (which equals an A1c of about 7%) but with very different fluctuations. Unlike a finger-prick glucose test, your A1C test evaluates your average blood sugar over a period of 2 to 3 months. Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l. Instead, she began eating unlimited amounts of fruits, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables like potatoes and squashes. Adjusting your medication is an important tool in your diabetes toolbox and something you should always discuss with your medical team. In fact, you may even benefit from a slightly higher A1c with fewer blood sugar fluctuations. Food was probably the biggest change. You may know that its a good idea to limit carbs, exercise regularly, check other medications for possible interactions, and avoid drinking alcohol on an empty stomach. Lowering your A1c to the recommended range will reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications significantly: Achieving an A1c in the recommended range is, therefore, one of the most important things you can do to improve your long-term health when you live with diabetes. Retrospective Evaluation of an Online Diabetes Health Coaching Program: A Pilot Study. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, October 15, 2019, 1559827619879106. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827619879106 I read on line where metformin can reduce A1C an average of 1.5%. Experts estimate that around 10 percent to 30 percent of individuals with diabetes have anemia, and approximately one-third of those people with anemia are deficient in iron. The doctor simply pricks your finger (or ear if you prefer) and takes a tiny blood sample. Optimally, youd have an A1c below 7% accompanied by a low blood sugar variance (high time-in-range). Sign up now and get a FREE copy of theBest Diets for Cognitive Fitness. Learn how your comment data is processed. Most meters allow you to download data to your computer, or you can upload the data to app-based platforms like One Drop or mySugr. Learning to recognize behaviors and circumstances that you dont usually associate with blood glucose fluctuations may help you prevent more serious health concerns now and in the future. He co-created the Mastering Diabetes Method to reverse insulin resistance in all forms of diabetes, and has helped more than 10,000 people improve their metabolic health using low-fat, plant-based, whole-food nutrition, intermittent fasting, and exercise. If you have been diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes, you have probably had your A1C tested. If the doctor's office has an A1c kit, you should get your result before your consultation is over. Its called the high carb low fat diet. If you wear a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), your time-in-range should be listed when you download your data (as in the example from a Dexcom CGM below). A1C tests are performed at least once per year by most doctors as part of their examination of your diabetes management. That means an informed discussion, and thoughtful consideration to the number. I turned to Dr. Peters for an explanation: If you lower your A1c too quickly, many bad things can happen. 1. MGH Primary Care Office Insite, updated June 2016. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. 12 (December 2012): 180114. First diagnosed at 13.1 then down to 5.7 six months later through metformin, glipizide, and diet. Join more than 2,000 members today. Fayyaz B, et al. When she was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and a dangerously high A1c, Tina was ashamed of her diagnosis. Im 67, 62 and 205 pounds. Just be aware that most people will see an increase in blood sugars during resistance training (research was mainly done on people living with type 1 diabetes) rather than a decrease. The good news is that if your A1C is on the high side, say, 10% or higher, it will likely start to drop within two to three months (in other words, the higher it is, the faster it comes down). People with type 2 diabetes are advised to keep their levels below 7% to reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease and other problems associated with elevated blood sugars. new guidelines around blood sugar control. 3 (August 2018): 27987. You may be able to recognize when youre under stress and may also know that it elevates levels of the hormones that, in turn, raise blood glucose. I will cover the four most important things you can do below but its always recommended that you start by having a conversation with your medical team before making changes to your diabetes management. So far, Tina has lost 53 poundsand she is continuing to lose weight at a steady, healthy rate. (2022). If you (almost) never experience hypoglycemia, your A1c technically cannot be too low. You may be able to do this by regularly checking your blood glucose levels and making appropriate adjustments before going to bed and when getting up the next morning. Last year, consumers paid an average of $1,000 more than the sticker price for a new vehicle. Reviews and testimonials of specific diets and approaches to health represent individual experiences, and Mastering Diabetes does not guarantee any results for your specific situation. As discussed, your A1C, unlike a blood glucose test, measures your average blood sugar over a period of 2 to 3 months. This means, it can take up to 3 months to notice significant changes in your A1C. Other times of the year that the test may be done include after an illness or trauma that affects both blood glucose and insulin levels, such as surgery or an injury. Honestly, its become a challenge now that see how I can control my health with little effort resulting in significant change. As an example, people react very differently to carbs like oats or sweet potato. Same here. If your A1C is 6.5% or higher, this suggests that you have diabetes. And so have experts from the Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians, a well-established academic medical organization. Sorry it was from 160 pounds to 120 pound. Thompson, Airlia C. S., Matthew D. Bruss, John C. Price, Cyrus F. Khambatta, William E. Holmes, Marc Colangelo, Marcy Dalidd, et al. Shorter sleep duration is associated with poorer glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients with untreated sleep-disordered breathing. 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