HbA1c (Hemoglobin A1c)
A blood test reflecting average glucose over ~3 months — the standard yardstick for diabetes risk and control.
Glucose in the blood gradually sticks to hemoglobin in red cells, and since those cells live about three months, the percentage that's sugar-coated — HbA1c — is a rolling average no single good day can fake. Under 5.7% is normal, 5.7–6.4% is prediabetes, and 6.5%+ meets the diabetes threshold.
For weight patients it's the metabolic scoreboard behind the scale: meaningful weight loss routinely pulls A1c down, sometimes out of the diabetic range entirely — the "remission" conversations the GLP-1 era made common. If you're starting treatment, a baseline A1c is worth having; watching it fall is among the most motivating numbers in the whole process.
This glossary entry is general information, not medical advice, and is written to be consistent with FDA prescribing information and primary trial publications as of its last review. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider for personal medical decisions.
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