Need motivation to lower your A1C? A recent study reaffirms that tight control of blood glucose levels helps prevent diabetes-related complications. After 30 years with type 1 diabetes, participants who had practiced tight control for 6½ years starting soon after diagnosis lowered their rate of retinopathy by more than half, kidney disease by almost two-thirds, and cardiovascular disease by nearly half, compared with those on a more lenient treatment plan. This group used multiple daily insulin injections or an insulin pump, plus at least four blood glucose checks per day, to maintain an A1C of around 7 percent during that period. The American Diabetes Association recommends keeping an A1C of at or below 7 percent for most people with diabetes to prevent complications.
Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, published online July 27, 2009