Hello, I'm new, looking for dietary advice.

[Miss T.]

Can you clarify the units of measure for that 5.6 reading? As @Leadinglights says, if that is your HbA1c in the old units of measure ie % then you are not even prediabetic. I am wondering if you are getting confused and it is actually 56 mmols/mol.
The units of measure of Blood Glucose (BG) and HbA1c can be quite confusing for people to understand at first.

Good evening,

It's 5.6 and is the HbA1c, which I believe is a percentage. My doctor said that the threshold of 5.7 was recently (2019?) lowered to 5.6. I don't know which medical authority lowered this value but I've noticed that some websites say 5.6 and some say 5.7.

Kind regards,
T.

 

[rebrascora]

5.6 and 5.7 (equivalent to 38 and 39 in the current mmols/mol units) are both in the normal (non-diabetic) range.
Basically you are in the normal range so you don't need to do anything other than what you are currently doing and I have no idea what your Dr is talking about unless he is perhaps looking at fasting BG levels and not HbA1c, but no doctor should be basing decisions of a fasting reading and you say this is an HbA1c result. The prediabetes range is 42-47, so 38 and 39 are normal.

 

[Miss T.]

Can you clarify the units of measure for that 5.6 reading? As @Leadinglights says, if that is your HbA1c in the old units of measure ie % then you are not even prediabetic. I am wondering if you are getting confused and it is actually 56 mmols/mol.
The units of measure of Blood Glucose (BG) and HbA1c can be quite confusing for people to understand at first.

Your HbA1C converts to 38mmol/mol which is normal so it may be you can up your good carbs a bit and certainly increase protein and fats.
What sort of meals are you having? approx how many grams of carbs per day are you having.

Good evening, thanks for your post. I'll try what you suggest, thank you. I don't weigh the carbs as I wasn't given a specific plan by the doctor, so I just have smaller portions of carbs and stick to high fibre, whole wheat and try to eat more greens. I was eating a lot of protein too but the cholesterol went slightly too high, so I reduced it a bit. I tend not to eat sweet stuff because I don't care for it anyway.

Kind regards, T.

 

[Leadinglights]

Good evening, thanks for your post. I'll try what you suggest, thank you. I don't weigh the carbs as I wasn't given a specific plan by the doctor, so I just have smaller portions of carbs and stick to high fibre, whole wheat and try to eat more greens. I was eating a lot of protein too but the cholesterol went slightly too high, so I reduced it a bit. I tend not to eat sweet stuff because I don't care for it anyway.

Kind regards, T.

As you result is normal I don't really think you need to make any changes unless you want to for having a better diet to your taste. Protein would not normally affect your cholesterol and eating healthy fats will help you not to feel hungry and can improve your cholesterol anyway.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Thank you very much for your reply. I can see that I should check with my doctor next time I go. Do you know anything about the effects of anaemia on the value? I heard it could deliver a false positive.

The general check used to diagnose diabetes is the HbA1c, which measures how many red blood cells have been affected by glucose in your bloodstream.

As I understand it, anaemia can affect the apparent results you get from HbA1c, which can make the results less reliable.

I think a fructosamine check can be used as an alternative?

 

[Miss T.]

The general check used to diagnose diabetes is the HbA1c, which measures how many red blood cells have been affected by glucose in your bloodstream.

As I understand it, anaemia can affect the apparent results you get from HbA1c, which can make the results less reliable.

I think a fructosamine check can be used as an alternative?

Thank you very much, will follow up on this. Have a nice evening.

Best regards, T.

 

[Miss T.]

As you result is normal I don't really think you need to make any changes unless you want to for having a better diet to your taste. Protein would not normally affect your cholesterol and eating healthy fats will help you not to feel hungry and can improve your cholesterol anyway.

Thank you for your reply. I'll ask my doctor again. Have a nice evening.

Kind regards, T.

 

[Dragonheart]

Thank you very much for your reply. I can see that I should check with my doctor next time I go. Do you know anything about the effects of anaemia on the value? I heard it could deliver a false positive.

Typically it would give a higher reading if you are iron deficient anemic - ie make it look worse than it really is. And as yours is already below the prediabetes level it could be lower still if you’re IDA