A1C, also known as HbA1C refers to a subtype of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein that resides and travels in the blood stream, binding to and transporting oxygen molecules around the body. Glucose, or sugar molecules, bind slowly to hemoglobin, producing hemoglobin A1C. The more hemoglobin A1C in your blood, the higher your blood sugar level will be. Converting from milligrams (mg) to A1C is a fairly simple task.
Instructions
1. Prick your finger with your blood sugar meter. The vast majority of blood sugar meters come with a small pin to pierce your skin for this task.
2. Drop the blood sample onto the blood sugar meter's blood receptacle.
3. Copy down your blood sugar level onto a piece of paper after getting the reading from the blood sugar meter. Most meters calculate your blood sugar in milligrams of sugar per deciliter of blood (mg/dl).
4. Use the following formula to calculate A1C from your blood sugar level in mg/dl: blood sugar in (mg/dl) plus 77.3, divided by 35.6. If your blood sugar is 100 mg/dl, you first add 100 to 77.3, which equals 177.3. You then divide 177.3 by 35.6 and get an AC1 value of 4.98 percent. AC1 is expressed as a percentage.
Tags: blood sugar, your blood, your blood sugar, blood sugar level, blood sugar meter