Many years ago -- about 25 as a matter of fact -- when I was first diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, my doctor was quite happy if my normal daily finger stick readings averaged out around 8 (about 145) and liked to see my quarterly A1C results around the 7.5 mark. In the past few years (maybe the last 8 to 10) it has become common place for our doctors to want us to get closer to what is considered a "normal" reading for a non-diabetic -- including A1C levels that are below 6.

Well . . . here is an article about a new study that would seem to indicate that maybe those 'non-diabetic' "normals" are not only hard to achieve for a Type II, but may actually be a little dangerous, too . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/he...in&oref=slogin

Very interesting . . . if you are a diabetic (or even a pre-diabetic) perhaps you should discuss this study with your own doctor at your next appointment?

Have a great day . . .

This article is certainly gathering a lot of debate and rightly so. My last 3 A1cs have been 5.1 5.2 and 5.3

I am "happy" with them but would like the trend to go lower. I am only 36 and this study studied heart patients over 60, certainly not a group anyone can make any generalizations with. It also seems that the method of lowering blood sugar was medication over diet and exercise.

Anyway, I think that the existing studies showing that higher A1cs contribute to greater risk of complications give me the motivation to continue with my plan as long I can. I've done it with diet and low carb and metformin. Should the time come when I have to add more meds, I might rethink that considering this article. Still, it's good information that will hopefully lead to more research and more studies.