AndrewL wrote:
This goes beyond triathlon. An elevated a1c implies decreased sensitivity to insulin and a possible pre-diabetic state. You should follow up with your doctor and have a real conversation. Simply lowering carb/sugar intake may be insufficient. Diabetes is a devastating disease that affects multiple organ systems with long term irreversible damage. Find the causes, get control. See your doctor.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This.
Except an elevated A1c=prediabetes by definition and overt diabetes if it is above 6.5 twice. And diabetes is a risk equivalent for CAD, so once you are a diabetic, you get: aspirin x life, metformin and/or other meds to control the blood sugar, a statin (moderate intensity), probably an ACE (to protect the kidneys), and follow up with a bunch of consultants (cardiac, optho, podiatry) and usually the recommendation for significant life style changes.
As always, talk with your doctor about what your numbers mean and what you can do about them. And everyone should know certain numbers:
their LDL, BP, blood sugar, creat (measure of kidney function), K, BMI.
(I've got to stop responding to these threads....)
http://www.diabetes.org/...at-risk/prediabetes/ https://www.mayoclinic.org/...t/about/pac-20384643 A high A1C means that the blood sugar has been elevated for the last 3 months because the high sugars floating around attach to the RBC's (which last about 3 months in the circulation 'til they are turned over.
I've seen some of my patients lose their diagnosis of NIDDM with really good diet changes and increased exercise regimens, but also have many patients who are thin as a rail with elevated blood sugars and simply need meds to get that sugar into the cells, and other meds to protect them long term...