What is HbA1c?
Asked by: GlucoseGuardian
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Community Answer
Answered by Dr. Smith 🩺
HbA1c, or hemoglobin A1c, is a blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 2 to 3 months. It is commonly used to diagnose and monitor diabetes and prediabetes. Here’s how it works:
- How it works: Glucose in your blood attaches to hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells. The HbA1c test measures the percentage of hemoglobin that is coated with glucose.
- Normal range:
- Normal: Below 5.7%
- Prediabetes: 5.7% to 6.4%
- Diabetes: 6.5% or above
- Why it’s important: It provides a long-term view of blood sugar control, unlike daily blood sugar tests, which only show a snapshot.
For more details, visit CDC's A1C Test page.