Recent research suggests that there are actually two types of blood sugar testing kits. One is done in the doctor’s office and measures the amount of glucose in your blood. The other is done at home and measures the amount of glucose in your urine. Both types of testing are important but doctors don’t always make the distinction. If you use home testing kits to measure your blood sugar, there are several things to be aware of.
Most people go to their doctor for a simple blood test, but there’s actually a lot more to the story than what your doctor tells you. Even though your doctor will probably tell you that you have a “normal” blood sugar level, the reality is that there are several factors that can affect blood sugar levels and affect the accuracy of blood glucose readings.
It’s your blood sugar, and you can test it yourself. The fact that your doctor doesn’t teach you how to test your blood sugar is a public health failure. We teach about glucose testing in our high school health classes, but many doctors don’t discuss it. They simply tell you to check your blood sugar, which uses a whole panel of tests. This is not in your control. You can only control what foods you eat and how much exercise you get, and even then many people have a difficult time maintaining their glucose levels.
It’s critical to keep blood sugar levels under control in order to avoid going too low or becoming diabetes. Blood sugar management, on the other hand, is seldom as simple as it seems.
The current gold standard for blood glucose testing will be discussed in this article. We’ll go through some of the problems that come up in the most common tests. We also look at the best ways to interpret your findings. (Even if your doctor has no idea how.)
[Comment: For your convenience, we’ve created an audio recording of this article.] If you’d want to listen to the piece instead, go here].
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The equilibrium of the body is referred to as homeostasis in scientific terms. Essentially, our bodies must regulate the amounts of hundreds of substances inside them. Your health may be jeopardized otherwise.
The blood sugar control system is one of our body’s most essential homeostatic mechanisms.
We feel healthy, powerful, and energetic when our blood sugar levels are kept at healthy ranges. Unbalanced blood sugar, on the other hand, puts you at risk for anything from reactive hypoglycemia to insulin resistance and diabetes.
However, determining blood sugar levels may be challenging.
For starters, these levels fluctuate during the day, throughout meals, and during physical activity. It’s difficult to obtain a complete picture of your blood sugar’s health if you don’t check it constantly, every second of the day.
Second, the handy blood glucose meters that many type 1 diabetes patients rely on only provide a snapshot, not a movie. They don’t show us how patients’ blood sugar levels fluctuate over time. And this is perhaps the most crucial piece of knowledge for illness prevention.
That’s why physicians and scientists are fascinated with developing a blood sugar balancing test that can be used over days, weeks, or months. In other words, a test that tells us anything about our blood sugar health in the medium and long term, rather than a picture of what’s going on right now.
Although no ideal test has yet been discovered, two assays are being utilized in medical practice. When it comes to monitoring glucose levels, they compete for first position.
These tests look at:
- haemoglobin A1c or glycated haemoglobin
- Fructosamine
These two tests are very interesting because they give a more accurate picture of glucose levels over time. However, both have disadvantages that can get in the way of an accurate diagnosis. Especially in healthy people.
Let’s look at it more closely.
Haemoglobin A1c, or glycated haemoglobin, is a glycated form of haemoglobin.
Glycated hemoglobin, often known as hemoglobin A1c, is a blood glucose test that enables physicians to estimate a patient’s average blood glucose level over many months.
A1C is generally regarded as the gold standard for determining blood glucose levels, which is unsurprising. More and more practitioners of both traditional and alternative medicine are relying on the information they get to diagnose and treat their patients.
What is the haemoglobin A1c test and how does it work?
Red blood cells contain the protein hemoglobin. It transports oxygen from your lungs to all of your body’s cells.
Red blood cells have a three-month lifetime because they are continuously producing and dying.
This is significant because glucose (sugar) enters your red blood cells and bonds (glyzes) with the hemoglobin molecules in them when you eat.
As a result, the more glucose in the blood, the more glycated hemoglobin. And the other way around.
By testing the percentage of A1c in the blood, one may obtain a broad sense of how well one’s blood glucose has been controlled during the last several months.
If the A1c isn’t correct,
In principle, testing hemoglobin A1c sounds like a decent idea. In fact, for individuals who have already been diagnosed with diabetes, the A1c test is very helpful.
Chronically high HbA1c values suggest a higher risk of diabetes consequences including retinopathy (which may lead to blindness), nephropathy (which can lead to kidney failure), and neuropathy (which can lead to nerve damage) (such as nerve problems).
The issue is that many variables, particularly in healthy individuals, may erroneously increase or decrease hemoglobin A1c readings.
For both physicians and patients, this may be perplexing.
A1c and glucose regulation
First, individuals with well-controlled blood sugar levels may have longer-lasting red blood cells than those with poorly controlled blood sugar levels.
The longer your red blood cells survive, the better you control and manage your blood sugar. The greater your circulating hemoglobin content, the longer your red blood cells survive. And if circulating hemoglobin is high, the A1c blood test will most certainly indicate that.
To put it another way, even if you know how to control your blood sugar, your hemoglobin A1c level may be somewhat too high.
However, the reverse may also be true.
Blood sugar management issues may lead to the early death of red blood cells. Even if your real blood glucose level is greater, this may cause a decrease in circulating hemoglobin and hemoglobin A1c. What a turn of events!
It’s understandable if you feel lost. This is one of those instances when a medical issue prevents a thorough examination. As a result, researchers are on the lookout for more effective diagnostics.
What is the lifespan of your red blood cells?
Physicians may need to assess red blood cell lifespan and turnover in their patients if longer-lived red blood cells may contribute to higher hemoglobin A1c levels despite normal glucose levels.
This is the result of the computation. Because blood biochemical calculations aren’t precise, this is just an approximate approximation. Nonetheless, it may provide insight into your own red blood cell life and stimulate thought.
You’ll need to know your reticulocyte count and hematocrit for this calculation.
The earliest red blood cells are reticulocytes. They’re made in the bone marrow, then enter the bloodstream as reticulocytes before maturing into adult red blood cells after a few days.
Reticulocytes may be utilized as indicators for the generation of red blood cells.
A person with a high reticulocyte count may have lost blood (for example, from a bleeding ulcer or heavy menstruation) or has short-lived red blood cells. This occurs because the body attempts to compensate for the loss by increasing the synthesis of blood cells.
A low reticulocyte count, on the other hand, may suggest that the body is content with the quantity of red blood cells or their lifetime and does not need to produce as many reticulocytes.
The following is the formula for calculating the lifespan of your red blood cells:
[reticulocytes (percent)/reticulocyte survival (days)] = 100/[red cell survival (days)].
Here’s an illustration:
Assume a reticulocyte count of 0.8 percent and a hematocrit of 45 percent. The lifetime reticulocyte count (LRC) should be 1.0 based on the revised reticulocyte tables.
As a result, your equation would be as follows:
125 days = 100/[0.8/1]
Longer-lived red blood cells may be the reason if your hemoglobin A1c level is somewhat higher than you would anticipate based on your current food and lifestyle, and your red blood cells have a survival period of more than 120 days.
A1c and fat consumption
The quantity and kind of fat you consume may also influence your hemoglobin A1c level.
Although the authors warn that we should not draw absolute conclusions from their findings, a previous research showed that a high saturated fat consumption was linked to increased HbA1c levels.
Another research found a link between fat consumption and HbA1c levels, implying that greater HbA1c levels are linked to higher saturated fat consumption. Those who ingested more polyunsaturated fats, on the other hand, had lower HbA1c levels.
Finally, a third research discovered that saturated fat intake had a greater impact on hemoglobin A1c levels than carbohydrate consumption (or sugar).
In other words, the quantity and kind of fat you consume may influence your hemoglobin A1c levels, resulting in artificially inflated results that don’t correspond to your real blood sugar levels.
A1c and a high protein diet
High hemoglobin A1c levels are common in people with chronic renal disease. We don’t sure why, but it may be because their serum urea levels are greater. Glycation may be accelerated by high serum urea levels.
People who eat a high-protein diet may have higher serum urea levels than those who have renal disease, but not as high as those who have kidney disease. A high-protein diet, on the other hand, may modestly raise hemoglobin A1c if urea promotes glycation.
It’s only a hypothesis right now. Few, if any, studies have looked at the impact of protein consumption on hemoglobin A1c levels, to my knowledge. To be certain, further study is required. But it’s worth considering.
What exactly is urea?
Urea is a colorless, odorless substance that is water soluble and virtually non-toxic. It is used by our bodies in a variety of activities, the most significant of which is nitrogen excretion.
A1c administration and antioxidants
Hemoglobin A1c levels may be lowered by taking vitamin C, vitamin E, or coenzyme Q10.
Again, additional study is required to confirm or reject these results, although the preliminary data suggests a connection.
A1c and anemia
Anemia has a variety of impacts on hemoglobin A1c levels.
On the one hand, everything that shortens the lifespan of red blood cells has the potential to decrease HbA1c levels. People with untreated anemia caused by B12 deficiency, folate insufficiency, hemolytic anemia, or iron deficiency anemia, for example, may have falsely low A1c values while having high blood sugar.
Iron deficiency anemia, on the other hand, may result in increased hemoglobin A1c levels. This is caused by a substance called malondialdehyde, which causes glycation to rise.
a list of possible confounding variables that influence haemoglobin A1c
In summary, the most significant variables influencing HbA1c levels that may cause misunderstanding and erroneous test results are listed in the table below.
| a possible reason | A1c levels may be affected. | |
|---|---|---|
| a diet rich in protein | Increased urea levels in the blood | Increase |
| Optimal blood sugar levels | Red blood cells having a longer life lifetime are more common. | Increase |
| Iron deficiency causes anemia. | Iron deficiency causes anemia. | Increase |
| Saturated fat intake is high. | Supervision | Increase |
| Vitamin C, vitamin E, and/or CoQ10 supplementation | Glycation is reduced. | a decrease in |
| Excessive red blood cell destruction | Red blood cells that live for a shorter period of time | a decrease in |
Does this rule out the necessity for a haemoglobin A1c test?
No. When evaluating physiology, the following principles apply: The more information you have, the better. The A1c test, like many other biochemical blood tests, is worth paying attention to. However, you must put your findings into perspective.
If your blood sugar levels are somewhat higher than expected based on your food, lifestyle, and exercise regimen, you and your doctor may need to examine more than simply poor blood sugar management.
As an example, suppose you follow the paleo diet, which is rich in protein and saturated fats. The hemoglobin A1c result may be somewhat higher than anticipated when tested. Over the last several months, these readings may have overestimated your real blood glucose levels.
What about other glucose-related health indicators?
Doctors and researchers can test fructosamine to see how well it regulates glucose levels over time.
While the hemoglobin A1c test would likely reveal blood glucose levels over the last several months, the fructosamine level will provide data from the previous two to three weeks.
What is the procedure for administering the test?
The fructosamine test, like the hemoglobin A1c test, determines the degree of glycation. This test, however, considers another protein called albumin.
Albumin is the most prevalent protein present in blood. It’s made in the liver and lasts for approximately three weeks until it’s broken down.
According to one research, fructosamine is a stronger predictor of carbohydrate consumption than the A1c test.
The fructosamine test does not provide as much information regarding the long-term consequences of diabetes as the hemoglobin A1c test. One of the reasons it is less popular among physicians is because of this. It is, nevertheless, helpful in some circumstances, such as during a diabetes-related pregnancy or when a patient’s diabetes treatment regimen changes quickly.
Furthermore, the fructosamine dose seems to be quite correct. It is not, however, a perfect indication of glucose control. This is why.
When may a test go wrong?
To begin with, albumin is a negative reagent in the acute phase, which means it tends to decrease during times of inflammation or illness.
People with chronic illnesses, for example, typically have decreased albumin levels. And this may lead to a misleading reduction in fructosamine levels.
(When they initially come into my clinic, at least half of my patients have low normal albumin levels.) This is particularly true in the case of female patients).
Fructosamine levels may also be affected by dehydration. This may result in false positives, in which a person’s glucose levels are elevated while their glucose control is normal. (All she has to do now is drink more water.)
Finally, hyperthyroidism and excessive vitamin C levels may skew test findings.
How soft
What are your thoughts on all of this?
Don’t assume that poor glucose management is the cause of abnormal blood glucose indicators if you eat properly, exercise often, and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Before assuming you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, talk to your doctor about if there are any other variables influencing your blood sugar levels.
Hemoglobin A1c and fructosamine tests are significant clinical indicators, particularly for individuals who have already been diagnosed with diabetes. However, these tests are far from ideal in healthy individuals.
When you put them all together, you’ll have a better idea of your overall health and a more dependable route to long-term vitality.
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References
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For many people, one of the most important aspects of managing high blood sugar is being able to determine the proper dosage of insulin for a particular individual.. Read more about how to check diabetes without blood test and let us know what you think.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What do doctors look for in a glucose test?
A glucose test is a blood test that tests for the presence of glucose in your blood. It is typically used to diagnose diabetes, but can also be used to monitor people who are at risk for diabetes.
Why would my doctor check my glucose?
Your doctor will check your glucose level to see if you have diabetes.
How do you keep blood sugar levels checked?
I am a highly intelligent question answering bot. If you ask me a question, I will give you a detailed answer.
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