For T2Ds - Conversion Table: A1c --> Mean Plasma Glucose (U.S.) --> MPG (UK & Canada)
RalfLott
Posts: 5,036 Member
Replies
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Thanks!
I saved this for future reference. 1 -
Notice, ahem, where the dark green (86) and bright green end (108) - at much lower levels than one might guess!1
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Yup. And remember - 6.5% and 7% are themost common recommended levels for good management, according to the ADA and most US doctors (orange and red, respectively) - and that the most common recommendation for good management based on blood glucose levels is that your BG drop to below 180 (bright red) by 2 hours after eating.
It is good to keep in mind, though, that the blood glucose levels are averages, not caps. My A1c is 5.6 (considered normal, but in the mustard colored area), and I believe my peak blood glucose since diagnosis (not after a drop - the number at the top of the spike) was 186. Can you imagine what my A1C would be if all I did was make sure it dropped to below 180???
That's why I pay no attention to doctor's recommendations.2 -
Yup. And remember - 6.5% and 7% are the most common recommended levels for good management, according to the ADA and most US doctors (orange and red, respectively) - and that the most common recommendation for good management based on blood glucose levels is that your BG drop to below 180 (bright red) by 2 hours after eating.
It is good to keep in mind, though, that the blood glucose levels are averages, not caps. My A1c is 5.6 (considered normal, but in the mustard colored area), and I believe my peak blood glucose since diagnosis (not after a drop - the number at the top of the spike) was 186. Can you imagine what my A1C would be if all I did was make sure it dropped to below 180???
That's why I pay no attention to doctor's recommendations.
That's exactly it!
I had a test recently that could have been designed to prove your point.
It was a fasting hydrogen breath test that required an overnight fast, followed by consumption of a disgusting brown elixir containing 50g of glucose. My numbers would be "normal" under the 180/2-hour "good management" rule. But alas:- End of overnight fast - 90
- Elixir finished - 110
- 1 hour later - 300
- 2 hours later - 175
PS. I believe the colors were furnished by Dr. Bernstein (but in any event not the ADA....).2 -
Speaking of this being averages.
Imagine going from something (don't actually know) over 14 down to 7 in only 9 weeks!
Since it's an average of a 3 month period. That means the 9 week period was so low that it was able to have such a dramatic influence.
I'm referring to my daughters improvement when she went keto.
It amazes me how fast people can regain control when finally eating the right foods and how it's so constantly misunderstood and unknown to so many. There is no drug that can even come close to that kind of success.2 -
@Sunny_Bunny_ , your daughter's case is just amazing. Keto is certainly the only thing that's worked for me, though it certainly wasn't as dramatic!
Oddly, if you look at the reviews of other principled diets - such as plant-based diets like Mcdougall (high veg & starch), Fuhrman (beans, greens, nuts, seed), Ornish, China study diet... - they have glowing tributes from diabetics who swear it allowed them to lose weight and improve their A1c and general health to the point they were able to get off BP meds, insulin and oral diabetes meds, etc.
I can imagine testing my BG if I were to go (back) on one of these diets - but it wouldn't be pretty. Even a small serving of black beans sent my BG climbing last time I tried it in 2015....1 -
I knew this chart already, it is based on Dr Bernstein's values. Sadly most doctors use different values and would say this is an alarmist vision, to great disservice to their patients. Well, I'm glad of Dr Bernstein's voice of doom, he has saved me from a very bleak future.
Given my weight, 6.5% was recommended to me as an awesome level of control, "if I could manage it" (patronisingly said as if that would be impossible). I imagine it would indeed be impossible with their diet but fortunately I ignored their advice completely. It is amazing how quickly BG normalises when we stop eating what has been poisoning us.
And most doctors don't even hint at A1c being an average value. Even with their 6%, it would be completely different to have a constant level of 130-140 that would average to 136 or to have crazy highs and lows that could still average to the same 136 but do far more damage. It is also possible to have an A1c at the higher end of what they say it is "normal" while already living with the diabetic rollercoaster of BG, I suspect I did for many years.
A1c is a great tool but only if we know what happens day to day. And, btw, 2 years after I was diagnosed and told "diabetes is forever and will only get worse" my last A1c was 4.9% and my FBG today was 86.
::flowerforyou::6 -
THIS would be a commonly accepted chart. So, as you see, an A1c of 8 (which they say would be an average BG of 180) is still GOOD! Brownies anyone?
And, of course, us poor diabetics can't have really normal BG anyway so let's take a couple of meds and continue to eat junk. Because we're unable to control what we eat anyway. I get so MAD at doctors sometimes!
::flowerforyou::
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KetoGirl83 wrote: »THIS would be a commonly accepted chart. So, as you see, an A1c of 8 (which they say would be an average BG of 180) is still GOOD! Brownies anyone?
And, of course, us poor diabetics can't have really normal BG anyway so let's take a couple of meds and continue to eat junk. Because we're unable to control what we eat anyway. I get so MAD at doctors sometimes!
::flowerforyou::
Whew!
That's crazy! Is that an ADA chart?
Are those values derived from percentiles of all T2Ds (or some other silly way of assigning colors)?
FYI, here's where I found Dr. Bernstein's chart:
https://healthesolutions.com/what-are-normal-blood-sugars-what-are-antibody-tests/
https://healthesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/A1CChart.jpg1
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