What is HbA1c?
long-term blood sugar
HbA1c shows your average blood sugar over the last 8-12 weeks. It is the primary diabetes screen and the standard measure of diabetes control.
Glucose attaches to haemoglobin in red blood cells and stays for the life of that cell (about three months). HbA1c therefore gives a smoothed picture of blood sugar over time. Fasting is not required and a single meal will not skew the result.
Test facts
- Unit
- mmol/mol
- Sample
- Whole blood
- Fasting
- No fasting needed
- Turnaround
- 2 days
What does low HbA1c mean?
Very low HbA1c is uncommon and can reflect conditions affecting red cell lifespan, such as haemolysis or pregnancy.
What does high HbA1c mean?
Raised HbA1c means average blood sugar has been higher than ideal. Values of 42-47 mmol/mol are pre-diabetic; 48 and above meet the diagnostic threshold for diabetes. HbA1c responds to lifestyle change within months.
Panels that measure HbA1c
- Essentials
- Deep Baseline
- Female Annual
- Male Annual
- Heart & Vessels
- Family Heart History
- Blood Sugar Check
- Diabetes & Metabolic
- Metabolic Deep Dive
- Longevity Core
- Longevity Full
More markers in the same area
Launching in Stockholm in 2026.
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This is general information about the marker, not an assessment of your values and not medical advice. Last updated: May 2026.