In the USA, the diagnosis of diabetes is usually made on the blood levels of your "fasting plasma glucose" and in Europe the preferred method is an "oral glucose tolerance test". Use of the blood test that measures your Hemoglobin A1c (or A1c for short), is now noted to be better standardized than the other other measurements of glucose.
The A1c test is a better indication of overall exposure to high sugar levels in your system and there is less variability on a daily basis. Also, from a practical standpoint, it is easier to measure since it does not require fasting samples. If you are diabetic you should know your A1c so you can help guide your care with your specialists (ophthalmology, neurology, nephrology, podiatry, endocrinology) that help with the complications of diabetic disease.
Click here to read a medical article published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
