A glycosylated hemoglobin A1C (called HbA1c, Hemoglobin A1C, A1 and A1C) reading reveals your average blood glucose level over the past three months and can be used to predict your risk for diabetes complications.

How does it do that? Your body actually memorizes the trail that sugar leaves in your body. When blood glucose is high, the sugar molecules attach themselves to red blood cells. The red blood cells store the sugar information for about 4 months. A blood test can then retrieve your average blood glucose results in the format of a percentage. The greater your A1C value, the higher your risk for diabetes complications.

Does an A1C take the place of daily blood glucose testing? No, knowing where your blood glucose is every day is still the easiest and most practical way to see how food, exercise and daily living are impacting your diabetes. But by comparing your daily blood glucose test results to A1c, you and your doctor can determine how well your diabetes is being controlled - and establish ways to control it even further.

• The American Diabetes Association recommends an A1C of 7% or lower.
• Your doctor can set a target A1C level for you that can be achieved by acting on the information you get from regular, daily blood glucose testing.
• The lower your daily blood glucose test results, the better your A1C result-which means you're taking charge of your diabetes through proper diet, exercise and medication.

* Blood glucose values are shown as mean plasma glucose.