Why does A1C not tell the entire story about insulin resistance By Amnesty International Education September, 2025

First Point: A1C is not a measure of insulin resistance
The A1C hemoglobin has become a test for diabetes examination. It tells you the average blood sugar level for two months to three months, which is important – but it does not say anything about how difficult your body is behind the scenes to keep these numbers fixed. You can have a completely natural A1C while the pancreas is pumping two or three times the normal amount of insulin. This hidden strain is insulin resistance, and A1C simply does not pick it up.

The second point: Where does the wrong concept come from
So why do many people – including doctors – assume insulin resistance? Three reasons:

comfort: A1C cheap, uniform, widely available. The routine examination tool has often become a routine for comprehensive.
CorrespondencePublic health campaigns framing diabetes as a “high blood sugar problem”, not “a high insulin problem”. This language obscures the distinction between the results (glucose levels) and the causes (insulin resistance).
Confusion confusionPeople with A1C height often have insulin resistance, so the two are assembled together. But many people have a regular A1C and a large resistance – they have not yet inherited.

The third point: When A1C is high, the next step is OGTT
If your A1C is 6.0 or higher, this means that there is already a lot of glucose in your blood. At that point, you need a deeper look – this is the place Oral glucose bearing test (OGTT) It comes in.

Here is how to work:

You are fast overnight.
The basic blood sample is taken.
Drink a uniform glucose solution (usually 75 grams).
Your blood is drawn again in an hour and two hours after drink.

What show the results:

In a person who has a good sensitivity to insulin, the blood sugar level rises modestly and returns near the base line within two hours.
In a person who suffers from insulin resistance, the body responds with an exaggerated insulin increase – glucose rises up and often remains high for a longer period. Even if glucose declines its normal for two hours, the unusually high insulin levels reveal the hidden conflict.

This is the decisive difference: Ogtt appears How does your body dealNot only where he sits in comfort. It is the practical way to measure insulin resistance before diabetes is fully placed.

conclusion

A1C is a valuable tool, but do not make it wrong to get a complete picture of metabolism health. Insulin resistance develops quietly and can be present long before A1C is up. If your A1C reaches 6.0 or higher, do not stop there – Ogtt will tell you whether your body is fighting a hidden battle with insulin, and gives you a much clearer map in terms of standing metabolism.