Nutritionist reveals the truth behind glycated hemoglobin exceeding 7 points but normal fasting blood sugar: the key lies in "Time in Range"

[Health Channel/Comprehensive Report] Nutritionist Zeng Jianming said on the Facebook fan page "Eat Right Nutrition Institute | Jianming Nutritionist" that the most common question in the clinic is: "My blood sugar is over 100 every morning, and it is well controlled! Why is the glycation (HbA1c) still over 7 o'clock when the blood is drawn?" What I don't see is: During the day and after meals, your blood sugar may be secretly riding a roller coaster!

Zeng Jianming said that glycated hemoglobin looks at your average performance in the past three months. In order to understand changes in blood sugar at various times such as during the day and after meals, a 24-hour "blood glucose monitor" with CGM (continuous blood glucose monitoring) is required.

CGM tells us: The key is not to break 100, but to "Time in Range (TIR)"

In the past, when we measured fingertip blood, we only cared about "Is it over 100?" But with CGM, we look at a more critical indicator: TIR (time within target range). This represents how much of the 24 hours a day your blood sugar is within the safe range of 70–180 mg/dL.

The recent DASH4D study in the top foreign journal "Nature Medicine" uses CGM to observe blood sugar changes in patients with diabetes. The study found that TIR increased by 5.2% simply by switching to the "diabetes-adapted DASH diet": increasing vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and reducing refined starches and sugary drinks. This means on the CGM chart: you have more than one hour a day, your blood sugar stays within a safe range, and there is no increased risk of hypoglycemia at all!

After installing CGM, many people with diabetes will find that normal fasting is not enough because:

● If I eat a rice ball with a large amount of ice milk for breakfast, my blood sugar will soar over 200.

● The lunch lunch box contains too much rice, too little meat, and the side dishes are too oily. The blood sugar level will be so high that it will not come down for 3 hours.

● I ate a few biscuits at afternoon tea, and my blood sugar stayed at a high level all day long.

This is the main reason why fasting is normal but glycation cannot be reduced. With CGM’s instant feedback, you will find that you don’t need to go hungry to control your sugar, but you can adjust your plate:

1. Change the quality of staple food: Looking at the lines of CGM, you will find that if you replace white rice with brown rice, oats or sweet potatoes, the originally steep blood sugar peaks will instantly turn into gentle hills.

2. Help Starch find teammates: Just look at the chart and you will know that eating bread alone will definitely cause a spike in blood sugar! But if you add an egg, a piece of tofu, and vegetables, the CGM numbers will immediately give you the most positive feedback.

3. Find your own landmines: Everyone reacts differently to food. CGM can help you accurately find out "which meal and which food caused your blood sugar to spike", so you no longer need to blindly avoid foods.

Zeng Jianming said that CGM has brought us into the era of "blood sugar curve". Stop worrying about a single number in the morning, let us learn to match it through CGM, and turn "fear of eating" into "understand the chart and eat the right food"!

Zeng Jianming reminded that if you are taking insulin or hypoglycemic drugs, you must not fast or reduce sugar by yourself in pursuit of a stable CGM curve; please be sure to discuss adjustments with your medical team to avoid the risk of hypoglycemia.