How do I Make an A1C Test Lower?

The A1C test measures a person's average blood sugar level over the prior two to three months. The test result reports what percentage of the blood's hemoglobin is coated with sugar. (Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen.) A person is diagnosed with diabetes if his A1C is 6.5 percent or higher on two tests. Nearly 23.6 million Americans--adults and children--suffer from diabetes, as of 2010. There are steps you can take to lower your A1C.

Instructions

Make Healthy Choices Lifetime Habits

• 1

  Eat a healthy diet that is low in sweets and starches. Proteins and complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and enter the blood stream more slowly. This helps the body manage blood sugar levels.

• 2

  Exercise regularly. The muscles use the sugar in the blood for fuel during exercise. This helps keep average blood sugar levels lower over time. Exercise also burns calories and helps keep extra pounds off.

• 3

  Lose excess weight. Carrying extra pounds makes the body less sensitive to insulin. Insulin is the hormone that helps regulate sugar (also known as glucose) in the blood. If the body resists insulin, sugar levels rise. If this happens often enough A1C results will also rise.

• 4

  Consult with a doctor if these steps don't lower A1C test results to less than 6.5 percent. A1C results of 6.5 or higher are a sign of diabetes. More serious measures such as oral blood sugar-regulating medicines or insulin shots may be needed to bring the blood sugar under better control.