Average HbA1c by Age — Am I Normal?
Your 3-month average blood sugar from a lab test. Filter by age and sex below.
What is a normal HbA1c?+
ADA criteria: under 5.7% is normal, 5.7–6.4% is prediabetes, and 6.5%+ (confirmed) is diabetes. Longevity-focused clinicians tighten "optimal" to under about 5.4%, since the upper end of "normal" already correlates with worse cardiovascular outcomes in non-diabetics.
What does HbA1c actually measure?+
It reflects the percentage of your hemoglobin that has glucose attached, which tracks your average blood sugar over the prior ~2–3 months. Unlike a fasting glucose snapshot, it is not affected by what you ate that morning.
Can HbA1c be misleading?+
Yes. Anemia, iron deficiency, recent blood loss, pregnancy, and some hemoglobin variants can skew it high or low. If your HbA1c and fasting glucose or CGM data disagree, mention these to your clinician.
How do I lower HbA1c?+
Reduce refined carbohydrate and sugary drinks, build muscle (the main glucose sink) with resistance training, walk after meals, prioritize sleep, and lose visceral fat. A 14-day CGM shows which of your specific meals spike glucose most.
See how you compare.
Get the weekly research drop — what the audience actually does, plus the protocols I'm testing on myself. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.