How can I lower my HbA1c level? | The HbA1c value (long-term blood sugar value)

How can I lower my HbA1c level?

HbA1c is the most important predictive marker, particularly in type II diabetes mellitus, and its course makes it easy to assess the risk of late complications of the disease. These include primarily cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack or coronary heart disease strokes nerve damage with diabetic retinopathy or polyneuropathy diabetic kidney damage diabetic foot syndrome Therefore, the adjustment of the HbA1c to values between 6.5 and 7.5 % plays a central role in the therapy of every diabetic. In type I diabetes mellitus, this must be done directly by insulin administration, as it has a fundamentally different mechanism of development than type II.

In diabetes mellitus type II, on the other hand, an attempt is first made to reduce the HbA1c by changing lifestyle. This includes above all weight reduction, sport and regular exercise as well as a change in diet. As far as nutrition is concerned, it should be noted that it is by no means necessary to do without everything and that a balanced, tasty diet can be found with good nutritional advice.

In general, diabetics should make sure that a maximum of 30% of the daily nutrients are fats, especially saturated fatty acids should be avoided. In addition, it is important to consume sufficient dietary fiber through, for example, whole grain products, legumes or vegetables. Fiber cannot be absorbed in the intestine and thus leads to a feeling of satiety without increasing blood sugar.

So-called “diabetic food” is not recommended by the German Diabetes Society DDG because they often contain a lot of fructose fructose, which also has a negative effect on HbA1c. You should also be careful with drinks such as soft drinks, juices and energy drinks, whose sugar content is often underestimated. If this change in lifestyle is consistently implemented, a reduction of the HbA1c by 1-2 percentage points is possible.Only if this does not show sufficient effect will the doctor initiate a drug therapy. You will also find an overview of everything about nutrition

  • Cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack or CHD
  • Strokes
  • Nerve damage with diabetic retinopathy or polyneuropathy
  • Diabetic kidney damage
  • Diabetic foot syndrome

Read next article in this series:

All articles in this series:

  1. The HbA1c value (long-term blood sugar value)
  2. How is the value determined?
  3. Standard values
  4. How can I lower my HbA1c level?
  5. What role does the HbA1c play in pregnancy?