The subject of knowing your numbers is so important that it deserves some extra attention. It’s time to follow up on our most recent post about glucose. One of the many reasons Omnia Health checks every patient’s numbers is because you can’t know what’s going on inside someone’s body just by looking at the outside. There are so many factors that contribute to a person’s glucose metabolism. In order to achieve optimal levels, there are several lifestyle changes that can make a significant impact and get things going in the right direction.
A Fast Review About Fasting
We’ve already talked about fasting glucose (ideally 85 or below) and fasting insulin (6 or below is the goal). These fasting levels are the most accurate since you don’t eat anything for 24 hours before and only drink water. Make sure your primary care physician checks for both of these numbers as they play a crucial role in your overall health.
At Omnia Health, we like to do our due diligence so we also look at hemoglobin A1C levels. This is a marker of your glucose over 3 months. It is your average blood sugar level as it relates to your red blood cells. This can be a tricky number to evaluate. Some people naturally have an elevated A1C level. These individuals tend to be grazers and their blood sugar levels don’t drop. Or their red blood cell levels have a tendency to live longer.
In this case, we may need to utilize a continuous glucose monitor or ask the patient to poke their fingers in order to get a better understanding of how their A1C levels are functioning. For hemoglobin A1C, we want to see your level below 5.5 and closer to 5.2 would be optimal. Pre-diabetes starts at 5.7 and diabetes starts at 6.4 so we want to stay far away from those numbers!
Take The Time To Track Triglycerides
The other number we take a close look at is triglycerides as they are associated with glucose metabolism. We won’t go into all the details, but what we can tell you is that you don’t want extra triglycerides just hanging around. They get stored and cause trouble in places like our liver. If that’s the case, it is a telltale sign that your glucose metabolism is not in a good way. A normal triglyceride level is considered under 150 — we aim to get our patients under 100 or even closer to 80.
Additionally, we look at our patient’s uric acid (waste found in the bloodstream). It is known to be a good determining factor of how our bodies are using glucose and fructose, along with the functionality of our overall cellular metabolism. Between 5.0 and 5.5 is where you want your uric acid baseline to be.
Here’s a quick recap of the numbers you need to know and aim to achieve:
- Fasting Glucose – 85 or below
- Fasting Insulin -6 or below
- Hemoglobin A1C -5.2 to 5.5
- Triglycerides – 80 to 100
- Uric Acid – 5.0 to 5.5
Evaluate And Take Action
If all your numbers fall within the ideal range, give yourself a pat on the back and treat yourself to a grande latte. And then keep up the good work and healthy habits. If your numbers are off, the next step is to implement an actionable plan with attainable (and maintainable) lifestyle changes. These typically fall under one of the following categories:
All of these things affect our glucose metabolism. Start with small changes and work your way up to bigger ones. If you want to see results, you need to make lifestyle adjustments you can commit to keeping. That is the best way to set yourself up for success.
Examining these factors help us get in front of chronic diseases to be able to do that. This is how we do it! We look, we test and we don’t wait to be diagnosed with things. We intervene sooner. It’s called prevention and personalized medicine.
Here at Omnia, we believe you deserve to live a long, healthy life filled with vitality and vigor. Collecting, monitoring and managing these numbers is a significant part of the “optimal health” equation. Want to learn more? The experienced Omnia Health team has a plethora of knowledge so take advantage of our FREE 15-minute consultation and ask away!
For more actionable knowledge on how to live your best life, follow us on Instagram or Facebook {omniahealthcolorado} or join our newsletter. Numbers don’t lie. The benefits of working with Omnia Health add up to optimal results. All you have to do is make the call.
