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A1C: Your magic number

If you’re diabetic, then your doctor has probably done an A1C test (or a few of them) and discusses those with you. The A1C can measure your blood glucose over the last 120 days (approximately).

While taking your blood sugar several times a day gives you a good idea of your daily control, the A1C gives you a picture of your overall blood glucose control. Both are important in being able to tell if you’re making the progress that you should.

As I’ve mentioned before, my husband was diagnosed with diabetes earlier this summer. We’re learning another benefit of the A1C: proof that you’re doing what your doctor recommends! I suppose doctors get a bit jaded; they’re accustomed to people saying they’re doing the right things and then learning that they’re not. Often, I imagine many people just don’t know what the right things are! My husband gets “lectured” often by his doctors, even though he’s made drastic changes. I know it’s frustrating for him to do the right things and still be treated as if he isn’t. His A1C was MUCH better this time, and his doctor is thrilled!

So, what’s a good A1C?  First off, a normal A1C is around 5 or so. Diabetic Technologies I cite below says that a 4.3 to 5.5 is a normal A1C for a non-diabetic.

The ADA recommends that diabetics stay under 7. However, you can see that 7 is still much higher than the normal range. In fact, a 7 A1C means your average blood sugar has been around 145-150. That’s not good! Some doctors, my husband’s included, work to get blood sugar, and the A1C back to the normal range. So, the ultimate goal is an A1c of 5-6.

Remember, the better your blood sugar control, the fewer diabetes complications you’re likely to have. If you haven’t had an A1C in a while, go ahead and schedule one. It’s a simple blood test, and you’ll have your results in a couple days.

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ADA has a good explanation of what it is, but not much discussion about what constitutes a “good” score.

Wikipedia shows a chart that correlates A1C to average blood sugar. They also give a good explanation of what the A1C is.

Diabetes Technologies discusses what constitutes “normal” A1C levels.