hba1c + fasting sugar not reliable? [uppili and VP and maria]

brie wrote:i did my own little bit of google research (as is my/our wont). this doc (in the above article) is talking from his own experiences with his patients and though he his backing it up with studies and logic, it sounds reasonable. BUT, he is, as he confesses,

- arguing for whack cases (1 out of 100);
- and about sugar tests as used as predictors for cardiovascular diseases or even diabetes and he debunks fasting sugar and hba1c as being reliable predictors of those diseases and not, per se, as accurate measurements of your blood sugar level or if you are diabetic (i might be wrong... correct me). 

well, i had already known that pre-diabetes does not mean that you WILL get diabetes (you can be pre-diabetic life long). in any case, i used to get my fasting blood sugar and hba1c done all these years (last 4 years after i turned pre-diabetic). so, a bit spooked i got my pp sugar test done today. it was normal (140 -- pre-diabetic). phew! uppili please tell me how i am living in a fool's paradise and should get my thyroid tested too... please. actually tested thyroid too. tell me uric acid test is more important as is vitamin b12. heck! got them tested too! cbc too. treadmill, lipids works. got them all tested. uppili what's left? not quitting xanax! not quitting drinking! tell me -- yegscactly! those will keel you! get your liver biopsy done! ughhh. bye.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:

brie wrote:i did my own little bit of google research (as is my/our wont). this doc (in the above article) is talking from his own experiences with his patients and though he his backing it up with studies and logic, it sounds reasonable. BUT, he is, as he confesses,

- arguing for whack cases (1 out of 100);
- and about sugar tests as used as predictors for cardiovascular diseases or even diabetes and he debunks fasting sugar and hba1c as being reliable predictors of those diseases and not, per se, as accurate measurements of your blood sugar level or if you are diabetic (i might be wrong... correct me). 

well, i had already known that pre-diabetes does not mean that you WILL get diabetes (you can be pre-diabetic life long). in any case, i used to get my fasting blood sugar and hba1c done all these years (last 4 years after i turned pre-diabetic). so, a bit spooked i got my pp sugar test done today. it was normal (140 -- pre-diabetic). phew! uppili please tell me how i am living in a fool's paradise and should get my thyroid tested too... please. actually tested thyroid too. tell me uric acid test is more important as is vitamin b12. heck! got them tested too! cbc too. treadmill, lipids works. got them all tested. uppili what's left? not quitting xanax! not quitting drinking! tell me -- yegscactly! those will keel you! get your liver biopsy done! ughhh. bye.

Since you asked... CRP-Cardiac, sed rate, VLDL, and insulin levels in your blood.

140 is NOT pre-diabetic in US. anything over 125 fasting is diabetic. Your A1C is probably around 7.5 to 8.0 - am I right ?

You will live the same number of years as pre-decided by Lord Yama. How you libe those years is the question, and the answer is in you.

Vakavaka Pakapaka wrote:The pre-diabetic classification is no longer used.

True - A1C is not foolproof but it still takes into account the more recent RBC in a patient. In the same patient, if A1C is used every 3-4 months, the data is reasonably reliable in deciding on therapy. Daily monitoring of sugar levels is expensive for the healthcare system and this is the main reason why A1C is preferred.

You are right about reliability of the 2-3 hr post-meal measurement (and fasting sugar is also valuable).

Fructosamine is a good approach as well (but it has its own limitations).

The best thing a diabetic can do is to eat complex carbs so that there are not too many spikes in glucose levels, exercise regularly (even walking for 30-40 min can burn enough calories) AND build muscles (lifting weights) so that insulin resistance can be decreased and a lot of glucose in circulation is mopped up by the muscles. If you are above 45-50 and a diabetic, maintaining the muscle mass is very helpful. Drinking enough water will help with metabolism and is also good for the kidneys. These activities alone can do more wonders than just medication!