A1C Levels – What Should You Do to Keep Them in Check?

Last updated on September 27th, 2022

An HbA1C blood test measures the average blood sugar level for the past 3 months or 90 days. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends using A1C tests to diagnose prediabetes, type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes.

Hb (Hemoglobin) is a protein found in RBC (red blood cells) whose role is to transport oxygen to cells. HbA1C is the portion of hemoglobin that takes up sugar in the blood. The high level may be a sign of poorly controlled diabetes.

The doctor relies on A1C tests to monitor diabetes treatment plans. If your ac1 levels are too high, this means your blood sugar is too high. Lowering blood sugar levels lowers a person’s A1C.

What is Glycated Hemoglobin?

Glycated hemoglobin is a biological parameter for monitoring glycemic balance in diabetic states (unstable, poorly balanced, insulin-dependent, or not).

What is an A1C test?

This test measures how well the body is holding blood sugar levels. It gives the average percentage of haemoglobin bound to sugar in a blood sample. When glucose gets into the blood, it binds to a protein in red blood cells called haemoglobin. Haemoglobin carries oxygen around the body:

• The higher the blood sugar, the more it binds to haemoglobin
• Red blood cells live for about four years. Months for the A1C results to reflect long-term blood sugar levels.
• In this test, the blood is taken from a finger prick or a blood sample.
• Doctors usually do more than one A1C test before making a diagnosis of diabetes.
• The first test helps a doctor determine a person’s baseline A1C for later comparison.

The frequency that a person diagnosed with diabetes should be tested depends on the type of diabetes and management factors.

Why Should You Reduce the A1C Values?

Many people ask what causes a1c to go up? The answer is the increase in sugar in the blood of a person. A doctor will diagnose diabetes when a person’s A1C is 6.5% or more on two separate occasions. Physical activity, diet, and possibly medication can help control blood sugar levels and thus also A1C levels.

Also Read: mmol to mg/dl conversion

Life Tips

Exercise and Style Tips To Lower A1C Levels Include:

Physical activity: Current guidelines recommend that adults use the 150-300 principal Minutes of moderate exercise every week. Individuals who take insulin should speak to their doctor about an appropriate pack.

Blood glucose monitoring: This is vital to ensure that the person is achieving their goals and making necessary changes.

Follow the treatment: This includes taking medication and lifestyle therapies.

Track progress: This is useful for self-motivation, monitoring change, and identifying the strategies that work for a person.

Involve others: Lifestyle Change it’s often easier to adapt when other people can encourage and monitor progress.

Nutrition tips: Monitoring of Carbohydrates can help a person control their blood sugar. General diet tips for lowering A1C levels include:

• Pay attention to the portion sizes
• Eat regularly, every 3 to 5 hours
• eat similarly small portions with meals and snacks
• plan meals in advance
• keep a nutrition, medication, and exercise diary
• Spread high-carbohydrate foods throughout the day
• ask a nutritionist for help

A doctor will advise each person on their dietary needs, including the number of carbohydrates they consume—this will lie on individual factors, including their training level and treatment plan.

Nourishment

Foods digested longer, like whole grains, have a slower and less impact on blood sugar levels. A person will digest them as simple sugars – found in candy and white bread – faster. This can cause blood sugar to rise. Frequent increases in blood sugar can accelerate the development of diabetes and increase the risk of complications.

Also Read: Normal Sugar Level in Body

Carbohydrates

A person with diabetes needs to control their carbohydrate intake, but they do not need to cut out carbohydrates altogether.

Tips for a Healthy Carbohydrate Intake

Spread the carbohydrates ingested over the day for reducing a1c through diet. Along with this choosing, the right carbohydrates is also an important aspect that must be considered when you have to work on lowering your A1C levels.

There are three types of carbohydrates:

Sugar: The body absorbs them quickly, causing blood sugar levels to rise.

Strength: They take longer to be absorbed and are less likely to cause glucose spikes

Fiber: This is essential for health. Its benefits include reducing the risk of hyperglycemia.

Fiber is complex and takes longer to break down, providing longer-lasting energy and the risk of blood sugar spikes. Fiber helps in properly Maintaining a Healthy Digestive Tract. If women consume at least 25 grams (g) of fiber per day and men 38 grams or more, the risk of developing type diabetes two can decrease. Around 20-30% Sources of fiber include whole grains, cereals, nuts, and whole fruits and vegetables. Whole fresh fruits contain more fiber than fresh fruit juices.

Natural sugar

Refined sugars such as candy are quickly absorbed by the body, leading to dangerous blood sugar spikes. Consuming fresh Fruits, vegetables, and low-fat-containing dairy products contain less processed sugar, which is healthier than refined sugar. All fruits and whole vegetables contain natural sugars, but they also tend to be high in other nutrients, including fiber.

Blood sugar is the level of sugar in the blood. It varies during the day but should be around 1g / L overall for an average rate. Eating meals and physical activity will make it evolve.

Also Read: How to Reduce Blood Sugar Level Immediately?

When Should the Blood Sugar Level Be Lowered?

Blood sugar should be controlled as soon as it is over 1.10 g/L on an empty stomach. Initially, we will implement food hygiene measures – food balance and physical activity – and monthly monitoring as long as the parameters are not normalized.

Also, family tendencies or the presence of risk factors enhance vigilance. It is essential to control blood sugar when there are risk factors, such as being overweight, a genetic predisposition to diabetes high cholesterol level or triglyceride levels, or a history of cardiovascular disease.

Also Read: Long Term Complications of Diabetes

Foods to Lower A1C Levels

It’s not about removing all the sugars from the dish. It’s about significantly reducing the quick sugars (sweets, chocolate, ice cream, sugary drinks, etc.) as well as saturated fats (cheese, sausage, stews in sauce, etc.)) fried food) ;

Reduce your consumption of alcohol, whose sugar penetrates the body very quickly;

Pay attention to the time of day when you consume carbohydrates. The body metabolizes sugars and fats during the night. Therefore, it is a question of limiting these contributions to dinner as much as possible. Energy expenditure decreases markedly with age;

Certain foods to lower hemoglobin a1c such as green tea or cinnamon are sometimes recommended to help lower blood sugar, but the effects are not miraculous;

Preference for fiber in the diet, which helps prevent a rise in blood sugar by affecting the rate of absorption of carbohydrates;

• Prefer foods with a low glycemic index (lentils, tomatoes, apples, etc.).

Can Physical Activity Help in Lowering A1C Levels?

However, twenty minutes of regular physical activity is enough to reduce a1c naturally and start with on condition that you sweat and exercise the cardiovascular system. You can then gradually increase the duration according to your physical capacities. Swimming, Nordic walking, running, cycling, aerobics. So many activities to favor. The correct frequency? 2 to 3 sessions per week.

These sessions are in addition to the WHO recommendations, which are to walk about 30 minutes each day. Everyone’s physical abilities must, of course, be respected. The important thing is to practice a regular activity and within the limits of your means to not endanger your health and for lowering a1c levels quickly.

If gentle gymnastics or weight training can benefit flexibility or sheathing, however, be aware that they do not affect blood sugar. So favor cardio sessions.

Also Read: Reverse your Pre Diabetes Naturally

FAQs:

References:

1. https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/ways-to-lower-your-a1c-level
2. https://www.everydayhealth.com/type-2-diabetes/treatment/ways-lower-your-a1c/

Last Updated on September 27, 2022 by Dr. Damanjit Duggal