What is Your A1C

According to the American Diabetes Association 100 Million adults have Pre-Diabetes and 81% do not know it! In the US. 2 out of 5 adults have Pre-diabetes. That means about 800 Charlestown residents may have Pre-Diabetes, and an estimated 640 residents would be unaware of having pre-diabetes, but because of our excellent health care center at Charlestown, that number is probably lower.

Are you or your family at risk for Pre-diabetes? The risk factors are:

• Over 45 years of age
• Overweight: BMI (Body Mass Index) 25 or higher
• Family history of diabetes
• Physically inactive
• High blood pressure

DO YOU HAVE PRE-DIABETES?

An A1c lab number measures average glucose (sugar) in the blood for 6-8 weeks. Ask your physician about your A1c number. Know your number:

Normal: less than 5.6 Pre-Diabetes: 5.7-6.4

Diabetes: equal or greater than 6.5

Pre-Diabetes can lead to Type 2 Diabetes within 5 years! Complications of Type 2 Diabetes:

• Blindness from retinopathy
• Kidney failure from nephropathy
• Amputation from neuropathy
• Stroke and heart disease
• Cancer
• Alzheimer’s or dementia

The GOOD NEWS: You can reverse Pre-Diabetes & lower your A1c with:

• 5-7% body weight loss (ie. for someone 200 lbs.—lose 10-14 )
• Exercise 30 minutes/day or 150 minutes/week
• Do blood glucose monitoring with finger stick or

CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring), which can show overeating The result of Blood Glucose should be:

Before eating—100 or less

2 hr after eating—140 or less Looking for food tips? Check these web sites:

• org or diabetes.org/healthy-living Charlestown resources:

Dining Services Committee meets: 3rd Monday in CTS 116 Health Services Committee meets: 2nd Tuesday at 11 AM BR #1 Dietary Focus Group meets: 2nd Thursday at 10 AM in BR #2

EAT LESS. MOVE MORE. LIVE HEALTHIER WITH MORE ENERGY! IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO PREVENT TYPE 2 DIABETES!

by Charlene Freeman, retired RN, CDE (Certified Diabetes Educator), CPT (See Resident Directory for Contact Information)