HbA1c values

[stel2006]

I want to give you below some interesting facts about this test; it is a very important test (please read my previous postings) as it tells you how well your body handles sugars (HbA1c is a compound created in your body when excess blood sugar sticks to a protein in your red blood cells called hemoglobin (Hb). The higher your blood sugar, the higher your HbA1c value)


Normal values, people without diabetes:

3.5 - 5.0 % (some labs say 5.5%)

If you find values of more than 5.0%, that's worry; you may have prediabetes or diabetes; if you find however values of 7% or more, that's surely diabetes !!!

In fact doctors use this test to diagnose diabetes as it shows the same accuracy as the OGTT values in establishing the diagnosis. If you find values of 7.5% or more, you will not need an OGTT to confirm that you have diabetes; people without diabetes simply don't get these high values....

Here is a gross correlation between your HbA1c values (%) and your blood sugar levels (mg/dL)

HbA1c...blood sugar levels:

4% .... 50 - 75mg/dL
5% .... 80 - 110 mg/dL
6% .... 115 - 135 mg/dL
7% .... 150 - 170 mg/dL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8% .... 180 - 205 mg/dL
9% .... 215 - 240 mg/dL
10% ..... 250 - 275 mg/dL
11% ..... 280 - 310 mg/dL
12% .... 315 - 345 mg/dL
13% ..... 350 - 375 mg/dL
14% .... 380 - 400 mg/dL

Value targets in people with diabetes:

excellent control: 5.5% or less (some docs say that it should be 5.0% and less !!!)
good control: 5.6 - 6.0%
poor control: 6.1% and more
very poor control: 7.5% and more

Never believe a doc that says that values of 7% are good; 7% of HbA1c corresponds to 150 - 170 mg/dL of your blood sugar levels!!!!. And these values are way too high for a diabetic. A diabetic should have random values of less than 140 mg/dL (preferably 110 mg/dL and less). The lower the HbA1c values, the better the control of diabetes !!!!

[MeadowLark]

I agree with you Stel!
the biggest problem that I see is the drastic difference between the A.D.A. and the A.C.E. !!!!
The ADA wants : Fasting number 80 -126
Pre-Meal 90-130
Post Meal 180 or less (2 hours after a meal.)

The ACE wants : Fasting 100 or less
Pre-meal 90-130
Post Meal 140 or less (2 hours after a meal.)

I went to a Nutrition Class yesterday and that is what I heard, along with the calorie,carb,fat and protein do's and don'ts.
It is really frustrating to see so many different "scientific"findings of how we are to eat, what we should eat or leave alone.
No wonder we diabetics often feel lost in our search for good control and longer health!
It is so difficult to find a Doctor that is willing to work with us to keep our health over just giving us more medicine!

I started out on this board with no insurance a while back.
I now temporarily have some; so decided to see a doctor.
I've just started this journey a month ago and Metformin didnt help so I got switched to Januvia along with Lipitor and a baby aspirin. In this frustration of just a month... I'm thinking already of dropping the doc when the insurance leaves. ( Insurance goes with hubbies military activation and leaves when he deactivates.) So far, the only nice thing is the lower cost of test strips! LOL!
Stel, I'll look forward to reading more of your findings and thoughts on Nutrition/Meal plans if you would like
MeadowLark

[stel2006]

I agree with you Stel!
the biggest problem that I see is the drastic difference between the A.D.A. and the A.C.E. !!!!
The ADA wants : Fasting number 80 -126
Pre-Meal 90-130
Post Meal 180 or less (2 hours after a meal.)

The ACE wants : Fasting 100 or less
Pre-meal 90-130
Post Meal 140 or less (2 hours after a meal.)

I went to a Nutrition Class yesterday and that is what I heard, along with the calorie,carb,fat and protein do's and don'ts.
It is really frustrating to see so many different "scientific"findings of how we are to eat, what we should eat or leave alone.
No wonder we diabetics often feel lost in our search for good control and longer health!
It is so difficult to find a Doctor that is willing to work with us to keep our health over just giving us more medicine!

I started out on this board with no insurance a while back.
I now temporarily have some; so decided to see a doctor.
I've just started this journey a month ago and Metformin didnt help so I got switched to Januvia along with Lipitor and a baby aspirin. In this frustration of just a month... I'm thinking already of dropping the doc when the insurance leaves. ( Insurance goes with hubbies military activation and leaves when he deactivates.) So far, the only nice thing is the lower cost of test strips! LOL!
Stel, I'll look forward to reading more of your findings and thoughts on Nutrition/Meal plans if you would like
MeadowLark

MeadowLark,

I understand your concern regarding the difference in the blood sugar levels advanced by the above two institutions; However, remember that the above values are plasma (lab) values not meter readings!!!!; once you get a meter reading, add 10-12% to get an approximate plasma (lab) value!!!

Now, here is how to handle the above values: The blood sugar levels in people without diabetes are given for a clear but untold purpose: they tell people who want to see them that these values guarantee you no long or short term complications due to high blood sugar levels; it has been proven that even people with prediabetes have the same long term complications as people with diabetes; so it's highly desirable to achieve blood sugar levels as close as possible to those encounted in non-diabetic people!!! However, doctors came up with different values to calm patients down since the "normal" blood sugar levels are so difficult to obtain for most diabetics; so, doctors thought that: "Let's change these values to make our patients feel more comfortable about their condition" But they forget to tell you that a meter reading of 130 mg/dL is not the same as a plasma value of 130 mg/dL but a plasma value of 140-150 mg/dL (add 10-12% of meter value)!!!!

As for the menu examples, I will give you soon some of them together with what I know so far about diet and diabetes. I will also give you the meter values that correspond to "normal" plasma values; I calculated them and I felt very very depressed about what I found out.......

[stel2006]

I agree with you Stel!
the biggest problem that I see is the drastic difference between the A.D.A. and the A.C.E. !!!!
The ADA wants : Fasting number 80 -126
Pre-Meal 90-130
Post Meal 180 or less (2 hours after a meal.)

The ACE wants : Fasting 100 or less
Pre-meal 90-130
Post Meal 140 or less (2 hours after a meal.)

MeadowLark, don't believe any of the above values!!! They were advanced by doctors to calm down patients with diabetes. Now, here's the reality about blood sugar levels that are "truly" recommended in patients with diabetes:

As I said on this site, the closer your blood sugar levels are to non-diabetic values, the grater the chances not to develop long-term complications; Remember, people with diabetes seldom die from acute complications but rather from chronic complications....I will give you below again the blood sugar levels encounted in non-diabetic people (values are plasma/lab measurements, not meter readings):

A jeun (fasting plasma glucose/FPG; taken b/w 6.00 am and 7.30 am): 70 - 99 mg/dL (however, non-diabetics rarely have values over 90 mg/dL; most have values b/w 75 and 88 mg/dL)

Random (more than 2 hrs after starting eating, b/w meals, b/f meals): 70 - 110 mg/dL (non-diabetics usually have values of 100 or less)

After eating (post-prandial) values:

1 hr after eating: less than 180 mg/dL (non-diabetics usually have 140 or less)
2 hrs after eating: less than 110-120 mg/dL

Now, the following question comes up: If non-diabetics have these values and are thus protected against long-term complications, why diabetics must have different values for the sake of doctors? Shouldn't they have or aspire to the same values? Isn't the diabetes enough?

So, here's what I think: try to get values as close as possible to non-diabetic values; this is the only way that guarantees you no long-term complications!!!!

Here's an example of the meter readings that should correspond to "normal" plasma/lav values:

plasma = 70 mg/dL ----> meter reading = 62.5 mg/dL
plasma = 99 mg/dL ----> meter reading = 80.3 mg/dL
plasma = 110 mg/dL -----> meter reading = 98.2 mg/dL
plasma = 120 mg/dL ----> meter reading = 107.1 mg/dL
plasma = 140 mg/dL ----> meter reading = 125 mg/dL
plasma = 180 mg/dL ----> meter reading = 160.7 mg/dL

Now, I hope you realize why it is so difficult to achieve meter readings that correspond to "normal" plasma values.....For instance, you have to obtain a morning meter reading b/w 60 and 80 mg/dL to make sure that plasma/lab values fall b/w 70 and 99 mg/dL....and trust me, getting a meter value of 80 mg/dL in the morning is truly impossible......

I went to a Nutrition Class yesterday and that is what I heard, along with the calorie,carb,fat and protein do's and don'ts.
It is really frustrating to see so many different "scientific"findings of how we are to eat, what we should eat or leave alone.
No wonder we diabetics often feel lost in our search for good control and longer health!

Yes, we are. Doctors only talk but don't get involved in managing our disease at the patient level; they give you plenty of "good to follow" advice, they smile to you, they shake your hand, but in the end you are still in the dark about the diet you should follow.....

It is so difficult to find a Doctor that is willing to work with us to keep our health over just giving us more medicine!

YES YES YES YES !!!!!

I started out on this board with no insurance a while back.
I now temporarily have some; so decided to see a doctor.
I've just started this journey a month ago and Metformin didnt help so I got switched to Januvia along with Lipitor and a baby aspirin. In this frustration of just a month... I'm thinking already of dropping the doc when the insurance leaves. ( Insurance goes with hubbies military activation and leaves when he deactivates.) So far, the only nice thing is the lower cost of test strips! LOL!
Stel, I'll look forward to reading more of your findings and thoughts on Nutrition/Meal plans if you would like

I will give you below tomorrow the diet principles I follow. Just a little patience please.

MeadowLark

Hope it helped a bit. See you soon.

[MeadowLark]

Hey Stel
Thankyou for the break down.
I dropped all medicine as of October 7,2007.
Just couldnt handle the darn side effects.
My Plan? Exercise using my ministepper that i bought reburbished at a very low cost a year ago and my workout video that is a stretching tape by T-Tapp.com (It's the one for people with more candles on the cake or special health problems or a little more weight to lose than most. Also.Awesome for a mom that hates to bounce like a teen and still be able to breakout in a good healthy sweat!)
Along with this h,,,, diet.....
Stel?
I'd like to go slightly veggie,very lean meat, very low carb,very plant based. I did this once before and had the kind of numbers that you spoke of up above. Yes, it can be done.. I just got sidetracked with life and depressed over things that were happening to my family and got off the wagon.
I really need to get back on it and need support that my family is not very willing to help with. ugh....
Anyway.. here goes the re-beginning of the journey.
MeadowLark

[stel2006]

Diet tips, menues and principles of healthy eating

I would like to give you below some basic and useful principles a person with diabetes should follow (however, they are recommended to non-diabetics at the same degree providing they want to live a healthy life; I will present them all as a summary of what I have read on the net and of what my doctor has told me)

Part A: Cooking the food

1. Never fry the food; try instead to boil it but for short periods of time; too much boiling will eventually destroy the very food components, especially the key vitamins and the minerals which are so much needed for all of us); if you can, try to use a steamer (it “boils” the food; the steamer has been advertised on TV many times; so I recommend it to you since it does not deteriorate de food as too much boiling unfortunately does);

2. Do not overboil the fruits and vegetables; as I mentioned above, it will deplete them from essential nutrients;

3. Use fresh ingredients only; do not use foods that contain high degree of preservatives such as too much salt, E type preservatives (most of which causing cancer!!!!!) or any preservatives that are strictly forbidden by FDA (go on www.fda.org where you will find plenty of info about preservatives);

4. Do not refrigerate and reheat the food too many times; it will destroy the chemical structure of the food and it will, in some cases, cause the development of cancer due to the occurrence of very toxic compounds;

5. Do not use food for cooking that has been refrigerated for long time; cold will alter the food’s original chemical features!!!!

6. If you want to use oil, use olive oil, especially the one with at least 80% mono-unsaturated fats (the good fats that don’t destroy your heart; the bad fats are known as saturated or poly-unsaturated fats that will increase your bad cholesterol = LDL –CT and will cause the clogging of your vessels, strokes and heart attacks)

7. If you want to add salt to your food, use maximum 6 grams of salt per person and per day (always use iodinated salt!!!!); for eg, if you want to cook a meal for 3 people, add maximum 18 grams of salt to all the food you are cooking on that day; too much salt will damage your vessels and kidneys since high blood pressure will occur in most people who are eating salty foods;

8. If you want to use spices, avoid the strong ones (hot garlic, hot pepper etc); hot spices added to your food have proved to cause cancer of your stomach and large bowel and will also cause or worsen reflux disease!!!

9. Try to use as little fat in the food you are cooking as possible; for eg: butter, margarine, pork or lamb fat etc; too much fat will eventually kill you.

10. Avoid at all costs fried potatoes (doctors proved that people eating French fries or any fried potatoes have the chance to develop bowel, pancreas and stomach cancer 10 times higher than people who do not eat such food); besides, fried potatoes is known as “hypercaloric and hyperglucidic bomb” (= too many calories and sugars); I myself tested on my skin the effects on my blood sugar levels which the eating of the fried potatoes have (my blood sugar levels went skyhigh – somewhere around 200 mg/dL (meter readings!!) 60 mins after finishing eating them!!!!; And I ate just a small portion!!!)

I will give you some menu examples I use; I will also tell you how to combine food types so that you have normal blood sugar levels (Part B and C coming very soon);

[ramesh68]

Hi there,


Thanks for the very good info and I am sure to follow this. Because I am pre- diabetic and I may soon get it. Since my parents are diabetic, I may also get it out of hereditary. One more thing is my himoglobin content showed 12% and my doctor told me that I am on the verge of getting diabetic. So the tips given by you will indeed help me a lot. Thanks a lot.


Thanks