HbA1c increased over 6 months.

[sgiossi]

Hello,
I need some advice.
Back in 2022, I had a blood test at my GP's and the HbA1c was 41 (5.8%)
My GP said I was close to pre-diabetes level so he asked me to adjust my diet a bit.
What I notice is that my blood in the morning is always between 5.4 and 6.2%, depending how late and how much I eat in the evening. It might be the way my body works.
Despite this, I managed to lower HbA1c to 5.5% over six months. I kept measuring it every 6 months from 2023. It remained between 5.4 and 5.5% until March 2024, where it went down to 5.23%.
However, I just had a blood test and HbA1c is now 5.98%.
Triglycerides are also just above the limit of 200 (2.36mmol/l) and cholesterols is slightly high, around 230 (5.96mmol/l). Cholesterol LDL is higher then usual . This is a bit of a family issue although I don't require medication as I don't have other risk factors.
I'm a bit surprised by the sudden increase of the HbA1c result. I'm wondering if I should worry or if it's something I can fix. I cannot say I have followed a strict diet over the last 2-3 years but perhaps my diet has got a bit worse this year. I'm wondering if lack of sufficient sleep/bad sleeping patterns have impacted on this. I don't want to become diabetic if this can be avoided. I'm 45. Back in 2021, because of the pandemic, I was around 105 kg but I managed to reduce my weight by 20 kg. I have been stable around 83-85 kg since 2022. The paradox is that the blood sugar issue started after I had lost my weight. I complete at least 10k steps a day.

 

[Melgar]

Hi there @sgiossi . I sympathize with you. I was diagnosed prediabetic late 2019, then tipped over into the diabetic range. I brought it back down. I have no wriggle room weight wise, as my weight is at the very low end of normal. My HbA1c was for a time hovering around 6.3% then my last HbA1c was 5.8%, so very pleased with that. I doubt very much it will be 5.8% when I have my Ac1 tested again in a few days. My blood sugars have definitely gone up. And that's doing around 25000 - 30000 steps a day.
This is just my personal view, even though 5.8% is in the non diabetic range, it's too close to being prediabetic and can tip over if you are not on the button with those reduced carb meals, so I agree with your Dr. For those non diabetics who have stable blood sugars, who have never been pre diabetic, 5.8% is just fine. If your blood sugars are labile and likely to rise , then , in my personal opinion, 5.8 is too close to being prediabetic.

Lack of sleep can raise your blood sugars, it's a body stressor , so too can everyday life stresses, more so if it is stress invoking event. Losing weight, for many does often result in lower blood sugars , but not for everyone. I went on a very low carb diet, lost too much weight and it barely budged my blood sugars. Hot weather and an illness can bump up your blood sugars. Blood sugars do fluctuate, but if they are consistently raised then that will impact your HbA1c's.

Maybe reviewing your diet will give you more positive results. Removing some high carb items, like rice, pastas, baked goods that use flours such as wheat or rice flours. Desserts and fruit juices contains sugars that will bump up your blood sugars. Dropping back some of your carbs may just work. Diet is your easiest option. If you are already watching your carb intake, maybe revisit what you do eat and see where you can cut back. Try periodic fasting. Some members get good results from that.

Exercise, particularly resistance training can also help to drop your blood sugars. This does require commitment, but the benefits are broader, so not just for diabetes but for your heart and lungs, and for maintaining muscle strength, which help support your joints. Building muscle, not necessarily bulking , but muscle mass, means your muscles utilize more blood sugar. Muscles use nearly 70% of your daily energy needs, which means blood sugars.

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