| Definition : A blood test that measures the level of a particular variety of hemoglobin (Hb1Ac) which is itself a measure of a person’s average blood glucose level for the 3-month period before the test. Glucose reacts with proteins throughout the body; indeed, this is thought to be one, if not the primary, mechanism by which high glucose levels cause damage (see Malliot reaction in cooking for a parallel). One of those reactions with hemoglobin is irreversible and relatively easily detected. Its concentration is an index of the average blood glucose level throughout the life of the red blood cell (about 90 days in most cases). See: Hemoglobin A1C. |