How to get my a1c down: How to Lower A1C Naturally
How to Lower A1C Naturally
- Home
- Blog
- How to Lower A1C Naturally
10/07/2022
Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in the United States. It’s also a condition you can prevent or manage with lifestyle changes — provided you know you’re at risk. One of the best tools for identifying your risk for diabetes is an A1C test, which you can get at your primary care provider’s office. With the results in hand, you can talk to your provider about how to lower your A1C levels and, potentially, prevent diabetes and its many long-term complications.
Why a Healthy A1C Matters
An A1C test is a simple blood test that measures your average blood glucose (sugar) levels for the past three months. Three months is the average life span of red blood cells, where blood sugar is found. The test shows whether you’re at risk for prediabetes, a condition that puts you at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
It’s also used to diagnose diabetes and can show how effective diabetes treatments are over time.
Read More: Reverse Prediabetes for a Better Future
“Adults who are overweight or obese should receive a baseline A1C test at age 35,” says Roxanne Davis-Cote, MPH, RD, LD, certified nutrition support clinician at Beaufort Memorial. “If you have a health condition that increases your risk for diabetes or prediabetes, A1C testing should continue every three years.”
Healthy A1C measurements vary person to person, based on age and general health, Davis-Cote adds. Rather than a specific number, A1C levels get measured in percentages. According to the American Diabetes Association:
- A healthy A1C is less than 5.7%.
- An A1C between 5.7% and 6.4% suggests you have prediabetes.
- An A1C level of 6.5% or higher indicates possible diabetes.
3 Easy Tips for Lowering A1C Levels
Unless your A1C levels are very high, you may be able to lower your levels with healthy lifestyle choices, thus helping to manage or prevent prediabetes and diabetes.
Here are three tips for how to lower A1C naturally:
- Eat a balanced diet. Load up on fresh fruits and vegetables, which are rich in fiber. Soluble fiber — the type found in beans, nuts, seeds and certain fruits — has been found to be particularly helpful in lowering A1C levels. Eat fewer starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, corn and squash, as these have more carbohydrates and a bigger effect on your blood sugar than non-starchy vegetables. Limit simple carbohydrates, such as refined grains and sugar.
- Get active. Active muscles are better at using insulin (a hormone that helps your body manage blood sugar levels) and using sugar for energy. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise every week. Combining aerobic activities, such as walking, jogging and swimming, with resistance exercises, which involve weights, resistance bands or body weight, offers greater benefits than aerobic or resistance exercises alone.
- Manage stress. Over time, stress hormones can raise blood sugar levels. Eating a balanced diet and exercising can help you manage chronic stress, but you can take additional steps. For instance, recognize your limits, and avoid taking on too many responsibilities at work and at home. Get seven to nine hours of high-quality sleep every night. To make sure you sleep well, establish a regular bedtime, don’t drink caffeine in the afternoon, and turn off devices 30 minutes before bed.
Get support for managing your diabetes. Talk to your primary care provider about a referral to our nationally recognized Diabetes Self-Management program.
If your BMI is greater than 30 and you are concerned about your risks for developing prediabetes or diabetes, talk to your primary care provider about our Healthy Weight Program.
Get Inspiration For Living Well
Join hundreds of others receiving a monthly round-up of our top Lowcountry health and wellness articles.
When You
Can’t Wait
GET THE CARE
YOU NEED
24/7
Online Visits
SEE A DOCTOR
NOW
9 Ways to Lower Your A1C Level
You can lower your A1C level with changes to diet, exercise, and other habits. For some people, medication may also help.
Diabetes is a serious, chronic condition that can lead to many complications. But there are ways to manage your blood sugar levels that may reduce your risk.
A doctor may test your A1C level if you have or are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Early diagnosis and treatment may help prevent complications.
Here are nine ways to lower your A1C:
Eating certain foods may help lower your A1C, so you may want to make a plan and stick to it. A few important strategies include:
- Make a grocery list: When trying to fill your basket with nutrient-dense foods while minimizing sweets, having and following a list can help you avoid impulse purchases. If you’re trying out new recipes, a list can help make sure you get home with all the right ingredients.
- Meal prep ahead of time: When you’re fixing a nutritious meal, you can save time by doubling the recipe, so you have another meal readily available later in the week.
- Build in flexibility: Plan to give yourself options before you need them. That way, you’re not searching for a fallback when the cupboards are bare and your stomach is rumbling.
Controlling portion sizes may also help reduce your A1C. Helpful practices can include:
- Get familiar with the appropriate portion sizes: You don’t have to measure every food you eat by the gram to learn to recognize and make a habit of thinking about what’s a right-size portion.
- Use smaller plates at home: For portioning purposes, opting for a smaller plate may help limit portion sizes.
- Avoid eating from a bag: If you’re having a few crackers, pull out a reasonable serving, then put the rest back in the cupboard for later.
- Be mindful when going out to eat: Restaurant meals can contain large portion sizes. Rather than order an entrée that may contain more food than you need, you may want to ask a friend if they’ll split something with you. Or you can plan to take half home to eat later in the week.
The appropriate amount of carbohydrates varies from person to person and is worth discussing with a doctor. But carbs can be easy to overdo if you’re not keeping track. It can be helpful to maintain a food diary or use an app to keep track of your carb intake.
Starting out, you may have to take some time to look at nutrition labels. With practice, this will become a quick and easy process and will help you get a sense of which foods are most carb-heavy so you can adjust accordingly.
Also called the diabetes plate method, the idea here is to simplify your mealtime calculations while eating the right foods in the right proportions. Picture a plate that’s less than a foot in diameter and divide it up into quarters:
- Half of what’s on the plate — that is, two quarters — should be low carb vegetables: There are many to choose from, including broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peppers, mushrooms, and cucumber. This can include anything leafy, like lettuce, cabbage, spinach, and so on.
- The next quarter of the plate should be lean proteins: This can include fish, chicken, eggs, shellfish, cheese, tofu, and lean cuts of pork or beef.
- The last quarter of the plate goes to carbs: Carbs can include grains like rice and whole grain bread, as well as fruit and starchy vegetables like potatoes.
This can include anything leafy, like lettuce, cabbage, spinach, and so on.You can apply the same proportions and ideas behind the plate method to foods that don’t lend themselves to being divided across a plate, like sandwiches, for instance.
Set yourself up for success. It’s important to be practical because a slow, steady approach to weight loss (a pound or two a week, at most) tends to get the best results when it comes to keeping weight off.
It’s also worth noting the results don’t have to be drastic to meaningfully improve your health. Experts say even 5% can make a difference. This means, if someone at 180 pounds adjusts their exercise and food habits and works their way down to 170 pounds over a few months, the resulting health benefits can be worthwhile.
Talk with a doctor about what weight loss goal makes sense for you and how best to work toward it.
Increasing your activity level can help get your A1C level down for good. You may want to start with a 20-minute walk after lunch. You may be able to build up to 150 minutes of extra activity a week.
Get confirmation from a doctor first before you increase your activity level. Exercise can affect your blood sugar levels, and depending on other health conditions you may have, a doctor may recommend a safe starting point. Being safely active is a key part of reducing the risk of developing diabetes.
Remember: Any exercise is better than no exercise. Even getting up for 2 minutes every hour has been shown to help reduce the risk of diabetes.
Taking prescribed diabetes medications can help manage your A1C level. Medications that lower fasting blood sugars will also lower your A1C level.
Some medications primarily affect your blood sugars after a meal, which are also called postprandial blood sugars.
These medications include sitagliptin (Januvia), repaglinide (Prandin), and others. While they don’t significantly improve fasting glucose values, they still help lower your A1C level because of the decrease in post-meal glucose spikes.
Some supplements may improve your A1C level. These can include aloe vera and chromium.
Aloe vera is a succulent that may lower fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1C, according to 2022 research. However, additional studies are needed to test its long-term effects.
Chromium, a mineral found in vegetables like potatoes and mushrooms, as well as oysters, may lower A1C in people with severe insulin resistance and less glycemic control. But some studies show inconsistent or mixed results. As a result, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) doesn’t recommend chromium supplementation in people with diabetes.
Lowering your A1C levels depends on making changes that become habits. The best way to make something second nature is to keep doing it consistently.
Particularly where eating patterns and exercise are concerned, slow, steady progress tends to deliver the best long-term results.
Sugar from food makes its way into your bloodstream and attaches to your red blood cells — specifically to a protein called hemoglobin.
Your A1C level is a measure of how much sugar is attached to your red blood cells. This can help determine if you have diabetes or prediabetes and can help inform you how best to manage it.
The A1C test is a blood test that screens for diabetes. The test provides information about a person’s average levels of blood sugar over a 2- to 3-month period before the test. If you have diabetes, it can give doctors a picture of whether treatment is working and how well you’re managing the condition.
The A1C test measures how much glucose (sugar) is attached to hemoglobin. This is the protein in red blood cells. The more glucose attached, the higher the A1C.
The number is reported as a percentage.
If the percentage is higher, so are your average blood glucose levels. A higher number means your risk for either diabetes or related complications is higher.
Although A1C is the gold standard of diabetes diagnosis, many clinical conditions can affect A1C, including iron deficiency anemia and other blood disorders that affect red blood cells. A doctor may recommend you take a different test to ensure an accurate diagnosis. A1C can test for type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but not for gestational diabetes.
If you have diabetes, you still need to test your blood glucose level regularly with a fingerstick glucose test. Because the A1C measures an average, it may not capture intense highs and lows on its own.
Some benefits of the A1C test include:
- It doesn’t require fasting.
- It gives an average of blood sugar levels over a period of weeks to months.
- It can be done at any time of the day.
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, A1C measurements can indicate whether you have diabetes or prediabetes.
| Diagnosis | A1C level |
|---|---|
| Optimal level | below 5.7% |
| Prediabetes | 5.7%-6.4% |
| Diabetes | 6.5% and above |
Having prediabetes puts you at risk for developing type 2 diabetes within 10 years. Within the prediabetes range, having a higher percentage increases your risk of developing diabetes. But you can take steps to prevent or delay developing diabetes. If you test positive for prediabetes, a doctor may recommend retesting each year.
If you have received a diagnosis of diabetes, having a higher percentage can increase your risk of diabetes complications.
If you receive a diagnosis of prediabetes or diabetes, a doctor may prescribe a home monitor to allow you to test your blood sugar. Be sure to talk with them about what to do if the results are too high or too low for you.
It’s important to talk with a doctor about what steps you can take to help lower your A1C levels.
They can help you set and monitor practical goals and may also prescribe medication.
Additionally, a doctor may connect you with a dietician who can help you better understand the nutrition component of lowering your A1C levels. They can also help determine the best ways to adjust your diet and habits around food in health-promoting, practical ways.
The A1C test measures your average blood sugar levels over a period of weeks to months.
You may be able to lower your A1C level by eating a nutritious diet with controlled portion sizes and getting regular exercise. Doctors may recommend medication for some people.
Beating Denial: The Inspiration That Leads From Prediabetes to Healthy Living Sugar Magazine
This article was written solely to inform the case of David Hernandez, who changed his life after being diagnosed with prediabetes and high cholesterol. It may be you will be inspired too!
- Author:
Marina Odnorog
- access_time
I have been overweight all my life.
At every stage and every age group, I was fat. Around the year 2000, I felt fear about the scale of my weight – 166 kg with a height of 1.73 cm. I was diagnosed with prediabetes. I was crushed. I wasn’t ready for change – or I thought I was, but really wasn’t.
Failed attempts to get healthy
I did everything: started eating better, got a gym membership, followed a low-carb diet, Atkins diet and achieved minimal success. By 2005, I weighed 136 kg, which at that time was probably pure coincidence, because I was not ready for change other than nutrition and denial.
By 2008, according to my medical record, I returned 164 kg! I not only gained weight again, but also began to notice that my body was beginning to age. I looked for excuses, and they, in turn, threw me back to the wrong way of life and unhealthy.
Not ready for change
In 2013, my wife wanted to start a healthy lifestyle program, but found neither support nor engagement in me.
She abandoned this idea.
In January 2014, we were invited to a health program in Portland. My wife was ready to start again, but I was skeptical. I decided to just look. I tried to find something that I don’t like. And I found this – there are many people like me, but they are trying to change and improve their health and condition!
Prior to going to this event, in December 2013, I underwent a medical examination, and only because I was threatened to stop dispensing medication if I did not pass a full test.
Face to face with reality
My results came in – A1c returned to 12.9. My cholesterol levels were far out of the norm and my triglycerides were 673! To say I was in danger is an understatement. And I was only 36 years old. I was in a state of unreasonable and total disbelief. After all, nothing or no one except myself has led to such a state. Change was vital.
Long-term change
To begin with, I changed my diet – more salads, less sweets – and this time, I felt different, as if this was my last chance.
I managed to lose some weight over the next month, but it wasn’t enough. My wife and I started talking about the program she had been offering the previous year – probably the only thing I hadn’t tried yet!
Now, a year later, I have lost 32 kg, my cholesterol level is normal and my A1c is in the undiagnosed zone – 5.3! I am no longer using Glipizide and in three months I will most likely stop taking Metformin. This is a real life change.
What is glycated hemoglobin and why is it measured for people with Diabetes
Glycated hemoglobin – what is it?
Glycated hemoglobin is also known by the abbreviation HbA1c or simply A1c. These terms are hard to understand for a first time diabetic, but they are important to know because they are an important aspect of your awareness of ongoing disease control. For example, the glycated hemoglobin test is most commonly referred to in medical settings as the “A1c test” or “HbA1c test”.
HbA1c test
The glycated hemoglobin test will help you clearly understand how effective your treatment is.
It shows blood sugar statistics for the last 2-3 months. In some ways, this analysis is similar to the average football player, it tells about the overall success of a person. Not a single day of analysis, not a single recording of the game will give the same full-scale picture.
The amount of glucose that interacts with hemoglobin is directly proportional to the total amount of sugar that is present in the body at that time. Because red blood cells live for about 8–12 weeks, the measurement of glycated hemoglobin can be used to determine average blood glucose levels during that time.
That’s why the HbA1c test shows the complete picture of blood sugar control. If within a few weeks the glucose level has been elevated, then the results will also be high.
Glycated hemoglobin test: how to pass
The testing procedure is quite simple. To measure the level of glycated hemoglobin, blood is taken from the finger for analysis. In some cases, such as children, even one drop of blood is enough to determine the result.
The test can be performed at any time of the day and not on an empty stomach.
It is recommended that people with diabetes have their glycated hemoglobin tested at least every 3 months to make sure their glucose levels are in their target range. If there is confidence that the sugar is under good control, then the test can be delayed, but in this case it is recommended to carry out it at least twice a year.
Remember that timely testing is a great opportunity to start diabetes treatment before complications appear. Since the disease is asymptomatic at the beginning, the HbA1c test can help detect the first signs of disorders, delay or even prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.
For a healthy patient, the glycated hemoglobin will be between 4% and 5.6%. Figures from 5.7% to 6.4% indicate prediabetes, and a level above 6.5% indicates diabetes. In addition, an HbA1c test is used to confirm the results of a blood glucose test.
Limitations of the test
Although the glycated hemoglobin test is fairly reliable, there are some limitations to its performance. For example, people with anemia may not have enough hemoglobin for the test to show an accurate result.
The test is also not recommended for pregnant women, people with unusual hemoglobin patterns, and kidney and liver disease. Short-term illnesses can also affect the readings, due to the fact that they can cause a temporary increase in blood glucose levels.
Benefits of lowering glycated hemoglobin
According to Swedish research presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in September 2012, people who reduced their glycated hemoglobin by less than 1% reduced their risk of death within 5 years by 50 %.
Also, two large-scale studies, the British Prospective Diabetes Study and the Diabetes Management and Complications Study, showed that reducing glycated hemoglobin levels by at least 1% for people with diabetes reduced the risk of microvascular complications by 25%.
These include: retinopathy, neuropathy and diabetic nephropathy.
Other studies have shown that people with type 2 diabetes who have 1% lower glycated hemoglobin:
- 19% less prone to cataracts;
- 16% less prone to heart failure;
- reduced the likelihood of amputation or death due to damage to peripheral vessels by 43%.
How to lower glycated hemoglobin
There are several ways to reduce glycated hemoglobin. Taking medication is one way (and the reality is that many people with diabetes must take prescription medication), but life-enhancing measures are just as effective. Here are some tips on what might work in your favor:
Healthy eating. The level of your glycated hemoglobin directly depends on what and how much you consume.
Try to eat less carbohydrates. Although they cannot be completely eliminated from your diet, as they provide important nutrients to the body, it is recommended to reduce their amount.
Focus on grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
Refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice, chips, soda, biscuits and other sweets will not bring health anything but harm, and their use will cause an increase in blood sugar and glycated hemoglobin.
Watch your portion sizes too. This applies not only to carbohydrates, but also to other products. This is especially important for people who are trying to lose weight, which, by the way, can also help reduce the level of glycated hemoglobin.
Active lifestyle
If your goal is to lower your HbA1c, then it’s time to focus on your physical activity. Yes, calorie counting and weight loss help, but don’t lose sight of the power of exercise. Exercise provides many health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease, depression and stress, as well as weight loss and increased energy.
Pay attention to cardio and resistance exercises.
