Just had my yearly bloods done. Last year they came back at 48. My weight is 53kg. My BMI is 20.45. I control my diabetes by cutting down on carbs. My HbA1c is still 48. Whatever I try my numbers stay the same. Don’t know what else to try to improve the numbers. Any advice please
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HbA1c result
- Thread starter Daffers
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Why yearly? Post diagnosis you should be getting 6 monthly HbA1c according to NICE guidelines.
Have you thought of trying cutting back on carbs a bit more.. with maybe some time restricted eating?
I found that brought blood sugars down very quickly when I was diagnosed.
Have you thought of trying cutting back on carbs a bit more.. with maybe some time restricted eating?
I found that brought blood sugars down very quickly when I was diagnosed.
I have been trying time restricted eating for a few weeks, so I was hoping it would have an effect on my HbA1c result. My cholesterol and other results are fine. Maybe I should get a monitor to check my levels after meals to make sure they are not too carb heavy
Drummer
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- Type 2
I reduced my carbs by 10gm a day and after a year saw no reduction in Hba1c, so it can't be an exact correlation. A reduction from 50 gm to 40 strictly adhered to ought to have made a difference, but it did not.
I did find a meter to check after eating was helpful as it pinpointed peas and beans as having more effect than the listed carb content led me to expect.
I did find a meter to check after eating was helpful as it pinpointed peas and beans as having more effect than the listed carb content led me to expect.
Thank you for your reply. Think I will get a meter to see if it flags anything I’m eating that is too high carb
Hi @Daffers I can understand you wanting to get your number down but please don’t be too hard on yourself as 48 is very good.
Have you tried exercise or increasing exercise to help manage levels?
I would definitely recommend a monitor so you can check the impact your food choices are having on your body. You may be surprised what it tells you and you’ll be able to adjust accordingly and over a period of time that could make a difference. All the best.
Have you tried exercise or increasing exercise to help manage levels?
I would definitely recommend a monitor so you can check the impact your food choices are having on your body. You may be surprised what it tells you and you’ll be able to adjust accordingly and over a period of time that could make a difference. All the best.
childofthesea43
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I have also found no correlation between HbA1c and carbs intake for myself. I got my HbA1c down from 74 to 42 on daily 65g carbs, and it stayed the same (actually a little less) during more than a further year on 130g. And when I raised it still further to daily 150g my HbA1c was still around 42. I am currently doing a 3 month spell on 180g to see if that makes any difference. My own experience matches what I was advised by the DiRECT investigators who said that after reversal one can probably eat any macronutrient proportions one likes subject to never regaining weight.
Hi @childofthesea43 when does your 3 month trial period end? I am interested in your result. Please keep us posted. Also, do you walk every day? I walk/run 2 miles most days. Be interesting to see what happens if you reduced your exercise which I believe is a key factor.
childofthesea43
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- Type 2
The spell ends on 15 April so I’m about half way through and the next six weeks will contribute about 80% of the HbA1c value. Yes, ever since diagnosis in Dec 2020 I have done a fast 2 mile daily walk after breakfast, a fast daily 1 mile walk after evening meal plus, once per week, a less fast 4-5 mile walk. I suspect this walking plays a strong role in minimising glycation of the haemoglobin.
I’ve made a note of your date @childofthesea43 I’ll look you up in 6 weeks.
childofthesea43
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Righto! I suspect the result will be a bit higher this time, maybe 42-45, but we shall see. There is a slight potentially confounding factor in that during the first fortnight of my trial I had Covid and this raised my average fasting BG from its usual 5.5 to about 5.9. That might add a tiny bit to the April result.
childofthesea43
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During the first year after diagnosis I tested FBG weekly, thereafter fortnightly. During the past 28 months it has averaged 5.4 mmol/l and has risen to 6.0 or 6.1 only on a few occasions. For each test I take the average of three prickings.
childofthesea43
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
So back in early March I posted on this thread that I had been experimenting with the impact of my carbs consumption upon my A1c test results. I had got into remission on daily 65g carbs giving A1c of 42. After doubling that to 130g the A1c came back as 41. I have just done another 3-month phase but with almost triple the baseline at 180g giving an A1c result of 41 again. So I happen to be an instance, I think, of the cases where significant weight loss and waist reduction result in near-normalisation. For how long, who knows? Profs Lean and Taylor told me “eat whatever you like” subject to the strict proviso of keeping my reduced weight stable, which is what I have done by careful balancing of macronutrients and exercise. So the notion that T2s must shrink from things like bread, rice, pasta, porridge, fruit and so on (all of which I eat every week without fear) is not universally applicable - it all depends on whether one has been able to beat the thing into true remission, at least for a while. Newly diagnosed T2s should be made aware of this from the start, I believe, not just showered with low-carb messages.
Spathiphyllum
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- Type 1
EXERCISE.
Childofthesea is absolutely spot on. Type 2 is caused by excess fat in and around your liver and pancreas. Even people with a BMI below 25 can get Type 2 if they are too sedentary. If you do more exercise, that will shift your excess visceral fat, getting you into true remission.
But on low carb my HbA1c's have been sub 30 for 7 years .... no extra exercise whatsoever all diet .
Sorry disagree.. you can't outrun a bad diet for very long if at all.
childofthesea43
Well-Known Member
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- Type 2
Yes, I’ve known a long time that with very low carbs you’ve driven it right down but I’m not sure that it is saying anything about diabetes. It’s an outcome I would expect for a non-diabetic too, in that the less glucose generator you eat the less glucose will be in the blood, it’s just “the bleedin’ obvious”. My concern is that some people may fall through the cracks because although they may cut their carbs they may still not clear out visceral fat, so that even if they do get a long run of good A1c eventually that fat will irreversibly exhaust their beta cells one day and force them onto insulin. I know that this will not usually happen because low carb eating will normally facilitate overall curbing of consumption and so eliminate pancreatic fat, but some others may not manage that by low carbing alone.
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