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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

HOW TO LOWER GLYCATED HEMOGLOBIN – Healsens Digital Preventive Care

Diabetes is a major health problem worldwide and its prevalence is increasing significantly. In turn, an analysis of glycated hemoglobin (A1C) will help you find out how your body copes with sugar. For many, this is an opportunity to prevent a disease or diagnose it at an early stage. After all, the disease does not develop at lightning speed! For us, this is an opportunity to catch a state when the body does not function normally, but has not yet become ill. We are talking about prediabetes. But for people with diabetes, this test is also useful. Mainly because it shows the risks of complications. In this article, we will talk about the situation when the test has already been passed, and its results were outside the healthy range. In addition, we will analyze an integrated approach to the problem, what necessary actions it includes and why it is impossible to do without changing your lifestyle. But let’s go in order. After all, in order to answer the question of how reduce glycated hemoglobin , you need to consider the problem carefully.

Speaking of normal hemoglobin A1c levels, let’s remember these ranges. For example, for people without diabetes, the healthy range is 4% to 5.6% . If your hemoglobin A1c is between 5.7% and 6.4% , that means you already have prediabetes. Levels 6.5% speak of diabetes.

Targets and Treatments

In the US, 79 million adults have prediabetes and its prevalence is 3 times that of diabetes. And if prediabetes is considered a reversible disease, then diabetes is not yet curable. It is also important to understand that treating diabetes does not prevent all of its complications. That is why prevention is so important.

In this article

1

Goals and treatments

2

How to lower glycated hemoglobin without pills

9000 3 3

Drug approach to prevent diabetes

4

decrease in the level of glycated hemoglobin

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But whether the problem will progress or not depends on many factors. So, how much a person is ready to change his lifestyle will depend on the success of his treatment. Genetics and well-chosen medicines are also important.

In general, there are 4 pillars of effective diabetes management. They include

• diet
• exercise
• Glucose and glycated hemoglobin monitoring
• medication selected by your doctor.

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How to Lower Glycated Hemoglobin Without Pills

In 2002, Knowler et al hypothesized that lifestyle interventions could prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. The researchers randomly assigned patients with prediabetes. Some of them were offered a placebo, others were included in a special lifestyle change program. The goal of this program was to increase physical activity of at least 150 minutes per week and reduce weight by at least 7%. The average age of the participants was 51 years and the BMI was 34.0 kg/m2. The mean follow-up period was 2.8 years. As a result, lifestyle intervention reduced morbidity by 58% compared to placebo ¹ .

Further analysis of this study showed that if people did not change their lifestyle, the majority developed type 2 diabetes within the next 10 years.

Numerous studies have since confirmed these findings. So, in 2013, researchers compared the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions with standard treatment. Seven of 9 studies reported that lifestyle changes reduced the risk of developing diabetes up to 10 years after lifestyle intervention ² .

However, for some people with prediabetes, lifestyle changes are not enough.

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Medication approach to prevent diabetes

Evidence for the potential benefit of pharmacotherapy to prevent diabetes in prediabetic patients was published in 2002.

Researchers have shown that drugs such as metformin reduce the incidence of diabetes. On the other hand, this decrease is not as strong as with lifestyle changes. However, metformin also has a beneficial effect on BMI and lipid concentrations.

In 2010, Lilly and Godwin, after a systematic literature review and meta-analysis, concluded that metformin reduces the risk of developing diabetes by 45% ³ .

Healsens story on glycated hemoglobin

Finally, metformin is currently the only drug recommended by the ADA for the treatment of prediabetes. According to the ADA, it is commonly prescribed for patients at high risk of developing diabetes. It is worth noting that if people fail lifestyle therapy and their glucose levels rise, metformin is a reasonable second choice.

However, despite the widespread use of metformin, the drug is not suitable for everyone. So, to lower glycated hemoglobin, ACE/AACE recommends a two-pronged approach. First, intensive intervention in lifestyle. Namely, an increase in physical activity, walking at least 150 minutes a week. As well as weight loss by 7% if BMI exceeds 25 kg/m2 ⁴ . Secondly, prevention of complications of cardiovascular diseases. In this case, drugs may be prescribed to treat high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Fiber to lower glycated hemoglobin

Increasing dietary fiber is associated with lower glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), improved lipid profile and weight loss ⁵ . This is because the increased fiber content lowers the glycemic index of foods.

In addition, foods containing dietary fiber are also rich sources of magnesium . We emphasize that magnesium is a co-factor for enzymes involved in glucose metabolism. In turn, dietary magnesium reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Research also suggests that the association of dietary fiber with a reduced risk of diabetes may be partly explained by markers of inflammation. We are talking about markers such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α ⁶ .

Finally, several studies have shown that after all dietary fibers were separated into grain, fruit and plant fibers, grain fibers were the most effective in reducing the incidence of type 2 diabetes ⁷ .

This article was last checked by Dr. Baloban S.V. June 11, 2020. Last modified on February 22, 2020.

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Source: ©️2019 Healsens B. V.

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Diabetes Mellitus: An Umbrella Review of Meta-analyses

How to reduce the level of glycated hemoglobin? 5 Easy Ways

This indicator allows your doctor to determine what has been happening with your glucose levels over the past 2-3 months, as well as how well you control your diabetes.

Glycated hemoglobin measurements are recommended twice a year. If your HbA1C is not in your target range, your doctor may order this test more frequently, once every three months.

Glycated hemoglobin values ​​below 5.7% are optimal. An HbA1C between 5.7 and 6.4% signals prediabetes. Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed if the A1C is greater than 6.5%. The target A1C level for diabetic patients is less than 7%.

How to reduce the level of glycated hemoglobin?

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is key to achieving the A1C targets. Changing your daily habits towards healthy ones will help you feel better and lower your glycated hemoglobin levels.

Move more

Exercise for at least 30 minutes five days a week. Choose the types of physical activity that bring you pleasure. It could be walking or cycling with a friend or relative.

Nutrition in diabetes should be balanced with proper portions of food

Try to avoid foods that cause a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. Plate size matters! Using a salad plate instead of a full-sized dinner platter can help prevent overeating. Do not eat processed foods and avoid sugary sodas and fruit juice.

Eat on schedule with your diabetes diet

Try not to skip meals. A long delay between meals and, as a result, subsequent overeating can lead to unwanted spikes in blood sugar levels. Talk to your doctor about what meal schedule is best for you.

Stick to your treatment plan

Diabetes is treated on an individual basis. For each person with diabetes, the measures to be taken to effectively control the disease are determined. Always seek medical advice before changing your treatment plan.

Monitor your blood sugar as directed

Even if your doctor regularly checks your glycated hemoglobin levels, this does not mean that you should stop monitoring your current glycemic levels using a glucometer.

Keep a diabetic diary and record your blood sugar measurements.