![]() ![]() Your health care provider can diagnose prediabetes with an A1C between 5.7 to 6.4 percent, and diabetes with an A1C of 6.5 percent and higher. What Is the Normal Range for A1C?Īn A1C is considered “within normal limits” when it is 5.6 percent or lower. The test is telling you what percentage of your red blood cells have a sugar-coated hemoglobin. When your blood sugar is high, your blood gets sticky, too, and the little sugar molecules (glucose) will stick onto the protein (hemoglobin) on your red blood cells at a higher rate. Think about it this way – when you spill honey on your countertop, it gets sticky. A higher A1C means your blood sugars have been running higher lower A1C means your blood sugars have been running lower. It is used to diagnose prediabetes or diabetes, or if you already have diabetes, monitor how you’ve been managing your blood sugars over a long period of time. Overall, it’s the lab that your provider collects when they want to see what your average blood sugar is over the course of three months. It can be called a hemoglobin A1C, glycated hemoglobin or HbA1c. ![]() What Is the A1C Metric?Īn A1C has many names. Have you recently found yourself puzzling over this acronym? Or maybe you or a family member has been told their A1C is too high, but you’re not quite sure what this means? Here’s a review of what an A1C is, and what to do about it. By Suzanne Watkins, MS, RD, LD, CNSC, Samaritan Albany General Hospital
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