A1C test - Mayo Clinic
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The A1C test result reflects your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months.
The A1C test is a common blood test used to diagnose type 1 and type 2 diabetes and to monitor how well you're managing your diabetes.
Specifically, the A1C test measures what percentage of your hemoglobin — a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen — is coated with sugar (glycated).
Identify prediabetes.
Diagnose type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The A1C test is a simple blood test. You don't need to fast for the A1C test, so you can eat and drink normally before the test.
A1C test results are reported as a percentage. A higher A1C percentage corresponds to higher average blood sugar levels.
For someone who doesn't have diabetes, a normal A1C level is below 5.7 percent. If your A1C level is between 5.7 and 6.4 percent, you have prediabetes (also called impaired fasting glucose), which means you have a high risk of developing diabetes in the future.
An A1C level of 6.5 percent or higher on two separate occasions shows that you have diabetes.