Hemoglobin A1C Blood Sugar Test Kit/ At Home Test Kit

Name: Hemoglobin A1C Blood Sugar Test Kit/ At Home Test Kit
Brand: Omega Quant
Price: 39.99 USD
Availability: InStock

$39.99

The Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test measures the percentage of A1c hemoglobin proteins that have glucose attached. The higher your blood glucose is on average, the more glucose there is attached to the hemoglobin A1c protein.

Your HbA1c level correlates to and reflects your average blood glucose over the past 3 months. A healthy HbA1c is below 5.7% and above 5.7% indicates chronic elevated glucose and warrants a discussion with a healthcare provider.

Where Does Blood Sugar Come From?

The main source of sugar in your blood comes directly from the foods you eat. Some examples of these types of foods include rice, potatoes, pasta and bread, as well as sugary foods such as cookies, cakes, and pastries. When glucose enters the bloodstream after you eat carbohydrates, it goes through the pancreas.

The pancreas secretes insulin when you consume carbohydrates and sends excess glucose to the liver as glycogen. The pancreases also produces glucagon, which actually raises blood sugar when necessary. You need both glycogen and glucagon to keep blood sugar levels balanced.

What Happens When Blood Sugar Levels are High?

Glucose is the primary sugar found in your blood. It is also your body’s main source of energy. However, when there is too much in your blood over a period of time it can damage blood vessels, tissues and organs and potentially lead to serious health issues like diabetes, heart disease and cognitive disorders, as well as vision and nerve problems.

Some signs of high blood sugar include frequent urination, increased hunger and thirst, fatigue, blurred vision, tingling or numbness in the hands or feet, and unexplained weight loss.

What Happens When Blood Sugar Levels are Low?

Low blood sugar is also called hypoglycemia and it often happens to diabetics who have taken too much insulin, causing their blood sugar level to drop. This typically requires quick treatment with sugary drinks like orange juice or honey or candy. In severe cases, someone will require a shot of glucagon to bring the level back up.

Some of the signs of low blood sugar are an irregular or fast heartbeat, fatigue, sweating, irritability, and tingling or numbness on the lips, tongue and cheeks. In severe cases, hypoglycemia can also cause confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures and blurred vision.

Why Test Your HbA1c?

Balancing blood sugar levels in the body is a delicate task. Periodically making sure your blood sugar is within normal range can help stave off more serious health issues down the road such as diabetes, heart disease, cognitive issues, and kidney problems. There are many factors that can affect blood glucose levels, primarily diet and lifestyle, but also medical conditions and medications. It is important to be aware if you have certain medical conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, thyroid conditions, iron deficiency, chronic liver disease, or sleep disorders that may affect your body’s ability to metabolize glucose.

Further, some medications and supplements may affect glucose levels such as antiretroviral, sulfa antibiotics, high doses of certain vitamins, aspirin, or chronic opioid use. It is important to discuss your medications and medical history along with your test results with a healthcare provider.

Other Blood Sugar Tests

The HbA1c test represents your blood sugar level over a period of 2-3 months. However, there are other tests that measure blood sugar at a single point in time, such as the glucose tolerance test, fasting blood sugar test and random blood sugar test.

Some examples of situations in which these tests are used:

Diabetics checking their sugar level before/after a meal
A pregnant woman at risk for gestational diabetes
A person who is experiencing symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)/hyperglycemia (high blood sugar)