Is Glycated Hemoglobin the same as blood sugar? The difference between glycosylated hemoglobin and blood sugar

Blood sugar refers to the monosaccharide in the blood that is broken down from carbohydrates in food, usually only referring to glucose. Glycated hemoglobin is the product of the combination of hemoglobin in red blood cells in human blood and blood sugar. It seems that there is a big difference between the two. In life, many people confuse the two. Let's take a look at the relevant knowledge below.

Difference from blood sugar

Blood sugar is a simple sugar in the blood that is broken down from carbohydrates in food, usually referring to only glucose. Blood sugar test results reflect the immediate blood sugar level. The glycated hemoglobin test can usually reflect the patient's blood sugar control over the past 8 to 12 weeks. Glycated hemoglobin is the new standard for diabetes diagnosis and the "gold standard" for treatment monitoring. As people gradually gain more knowledge about diabetes, most people have realized the importance of fasting blood sugar monitoring and 2 hours after meals, and often use the measured values ​​of the two as the standard for controlling blood sugar. In fact, fasting and 2 hours after meal blood sugar are the standards for diagnosing diabetes, while the standard for measuring the level of diabetes control is glycated hemoglobin. Fasting blood sugar and postprandial blood sugar reflect the blood sugar level at a specific time and are easily affected by related factors such as eating and sugar metabolism. Glycated hemoglobin can stably and reliably reflect the average blood sugar level within 120 days before the test, and is not greatly affected by factors such as the time of blood collection, whether the patient is fasting, and whether insulin is used. Therefore, the International Diabetes Federation launched a new version of the Asia-Pacific Diabetes Prevention and Control Guidelines, which clearly stipulates that glycated hemoglobin is the internationally recognized "gold standard" for diabetes monitoring. If fasting blood sugar or postprandial blood sugar is not well controlled, glycosylated hemoglobin cannot meet the standard.

The characteristics of glycosylated hemoglobin determine its great significance in diabetes monitoring:

(1) Parallel to blood sugar levels. The higher the blood sugar, the higher the glycated hemoglobin, so it can reflect the level of blood sugar control.

(2) Slow generation. Since blood sugar is constantly fluctuating, each blood draw can only reflect the blood sugar level at that time, while glycosylated hemoglobin is gradually produced. A short-term increase in blood sugar will not cause an increase in glycosylated hemoglobin; conversely, a short-term decrease in blood sugar will not cause a decrease in glycosylated hemoglobin. Since eating does not affect the measurement, it can be measured after a meal.

(3) Once formed, it is difficult to decompose. Glycated hemoglobin is quite stable and not easy to decompose. Therefore, although it cannot reflect short-term blood sugar fluctuations, it can well reflect the degree of blood sugar control over a longer period of time. Glycated hemoglobin can reflect the average blood sugar level within 2 months before blood collection.

(4) Less affected by hemoglobin levels. Glycated hemoglobin refers to its ratio in total hemoglobin and is therefore not affected by hemoglobin levels.