HbA1c

Desert Diva

Well-Known Member
Messages
97
Just had the results back from the lab and my latest HbA1c is 5.4.......which is very good, :D - but it's the same as my last one & i feel a bit disappointed that after working even harder at my low carb diet etc for the last 3 months,that it isn't lower......am I expecting too much?
 

BaliRob

Well-Known Member
Messages
596
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Noisy dogs and loud music especially low-note drumming
Yes - there are many members who would like that reading, including me. Be grateful that you are doing a good job and that you are stable. Congrats of course!!!
 

Grazer

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,115
Desert Diva said:
Just had the results back from the lab and my latest HbA1c is 5.4.......which is very good, :D - but it's the same as my last one & i feel a bit disappointed that after working even harder at my low carb diet etc for the last 3 months,that it isn't lower......am I expecting too much?

Just be pleased, well done. Remeber, if you hadn't tightened up your low carb even more, it may have increased. It's a bit like taking Aspirin for a headache. If it doesn't improve, you say they haven't worked. But if you hadn't taken them, it might have been worse!
 

hallii

Well-Known Member
Messages
554
I did manage 5.2% on my last one about a month back, down 0.1% on my previous one!

My (non scientific) thoughts are that there is some figure or another that your body will allow your BGs to go down to, below this and it starts to fight back, I have, in the past, strictly restricted both calories (1000 a day) and carbs (30 gm a day) and lost a great deal of weight, but even in the middle of this strict regime my HbA1c never dropped below 4.7%.

I think (non scientfic) that your body simply starts using stored fat and converts it into sugar and keeps levels somewhere near where it wants to be.

As to the figure at which we start using fat, I guess we all vary. One thing I do know is that if I eat to much carbs my body sure knows how to make that in sugar PDQ!

It is a comforting thought that your (and mine :D ) levels are close to non diabetic and might even stave off those dreaded complications for ever. But then it might not.

H
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. 5.4 is really good and you can't/shouldn't expect it to go any lower as that's around the natural level you should be at. You need to worry when you reach my level this month of 7.3! If you can stay well clear of 7 then you are doing well.
 

bonzodog

Member
Messages
21
hallii said:
I did manage 5.2% on my last one about a month back, down 0.1% on my previous one!

My (non scientific) thoughts are that there is some figure or another that your body will allow your BGs to go down to, below this and it starts to fight back, I have, in the past, strictly restricted both calories (1000 a day) and carbs (30 gm a day) and lost a great deal of weight, but even in the middle of this strict regime my HbA1c never dropped below 4.7%.

I think (non scientfic) that your body simply starts using stored fat and converts it into sugar and keeps levels somewhere near where it wants to be.

As to the figure at which we start using fat, I guess we all vary. One thing I do know is that if I eat to much carbs my body sure knows how to make that in sugar PDQ!

It is a comforting thought that your (and mine :D ) levels are close to non diabetic and might even stave off those dreaded complications for ever. But then it might not.

H

It does indeed. Its called gluconeogenesis and its effective the reverse of glycolysis . However there is some doubt (actually a lot of doubt) whether even-numbered fatty acids can be convered back to glucose but other stuff can be ....