HbA1c – Page 2 – BJJ Caveman

The Effects of Nutritional Ketosis on HbA1c Part 2

Posted on March 6, 2013December 4, 2016 by BJJ Caveman

In part 1, I tried to find a reasonable explanation as to why my HbA1c remained elevated at 5.7% before and after 72 days of nutritional ketosis where I remained in ketosis (documented with blood ketone tests) almost the entire time, and to top it off I had low fasting AM blood sugars (avg of 83 mg/dl).

The most plausible explanation I came across was:

Low Carb -> Lower Blood Glucose -> Longer RBC lifespan -> Higher HbA1c

Even though this explanation made the most sense, at least in my situation, I still wasn’t satisfied and had to prove it to myself. … Read More

The Effects of Nutritional Ketosis on HbA1c Part 1

Posted on March 4, 2013February 18, 2015 by BJJ Caveman

One of the reasons I decided to switch from the Slow Carb Diet that I followed since the beginning of 2011 to nutritional ketosis was because I had a blood test that showed my HbA1c level to be 5.7% which placed me at an “increased risk for diabetes.”

< 5.7% is normal
5.7% to 6.4% means you have a higher risk of diabetes
> 6.4% means you HAVE diabetes

I was surprised by having such a high HbA1c, especially since the main idea behind the Slow Carb Diet was to maintain glycemic control to decrease the amount of insulin fluctuations with the exception of one cheat day. … Read More

Why I Decided To Try Nutritional Ketosis

Posted on February 18, 2013October 9, 2014 by BJJ Caveman

I’ve always been on the heavier side and struggling with my weight was the norm for me. While I wouldn’t have called myself morbidly obese or anything, I would say that I was doughy with a good amount of ‘spare tire’ and ‘love handles’ with an estimated body fat percentage of around 30%. I am 5’9″ and at my heaviest weighed around 215 lbs. I managed to lower my weight to around 200 lbs using a lot of caloric restriction which left me hungry and unsatisfied most of the time. … Read More