What Are Normal Hemoglobin a1c Levels?

What Does Hemoglobin A1c Mean & Normal Range/Levels

We all hear the news that prediabetes and diabetes rates are raging to new heights. This is a particularly tragic condition since the disease can so easily be prevented and reversed with simple lifestyle changes. It’s important for us all to be aware of how to screen for diabetes and prediabetes and one highly accurate marker is called hemoglobin A1c. What does hemoglobin A1c mean? Well, the hemoglobin A1c test results meaning is defined as the average blood sugar levels you’ve maintained over the last two to three months. So it’s quite useful in giving you a look back in time rather than relying solely on testing done just checking your blood sugar at the current moment. What is hemoglobin A1c? Hemoglobin itself is a protein that carries oxygen found in your red blood cells and the test shows you exactly what percentage of your hemoglobin is covered over with sugar. The higher the number goes the worse your blood sugar control has become and the more likely you are to become diabetic.

Hemoglobin A1c Levels- Diabetes vs. Prediabetes

What is normal A1c level for nondiabetic patients? Normal hemoglobin A1c levels should be maintained less than 5.7. If you measure your blood sugar levels to be between 5.7 and 6.4 you are heading into prediabetes and anything over 6.5 is considered diabetic. An accurate test done early in this process can help you prevent yourself from becoming diabetic in the first place. Normal levels of hemoglobin A1c can be established simply by eating a healthy plant based diet. Medications can help but aren’t necessary if you are committed to healing your body with food.

How Can a Plant-Based Diet Help?

Research studies have been conducted using plant-based diets as the “treatment” for decades and the evidence is clear. Schedule a 15-Minute Phone Consultation Diet can reverse high hemoglobin A1c, bringing your blood sugar levels into normal ranges for both prediabetes and diabetics alike. Further, if you have a history of diabetes, even if you are on medications currently, you can improve your blood sugar levels within weeks of adopting a plant-based diet. Dr. Michael Greger discusses this extensively in his writings and has more information than you could ever read posted on his website, nutritionfacts.org. In addition to this approach, there are many other dietary plans that will lead to normalizing blood sugar, some involving meat and animal fat and others eliminating them. In my experience patients respond more quickly to diets with very low levels of animal fat and animal protein. This runs contrary to much of my training where I learned that animal protein was a key requirement for keeping blood sugar stable.

Dietary Recommendations

One of the most difficult decisions to make as a clinician is what diet plan to suggest to a patient. Many people do exceptionally well on pure plant based diets, other people I work with become quite ill if they eliminate meat. I can’t say there is a single solution to this conundrum other than that the more plants you can incorporate into your diet the more antioxidant and fiber rich your diet becomes, the healthier your blood sugar regulation will be. Schedule a 15-Minute Phone Consultation