High A1C
I have been on a keto diet for a year. My A1C was 6.6 October 2018, 6.4 November 2018 and February 2019. 6.3 March 2019 and two weeks ago(June 2019) it was 6.6. the doctor says I am diabetic. The A1C in March was non-fasting I was having a test that didn't require fasting and did not know they were doing an A1C. I was diagnosed with PVC's(Premature Ventricular Contractions) beginning on March, the cardiologist put me 5mg of Bystolic once a day. I also quit coffee due to the PVC's. I am confused because a keto diet does not support a high A1C. I have lost 24 pounds
The doctor is also concerned that my Microalbumin Creatinine Ratio is elevated she says this means my kidneys are leaking protein either due to the diabetes or high blood pressure. Could the elevated protein be due to the Keto diet. Thoughts?
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A number of things can cause an elevated HgbA1C in the absence high blood sugars. The most common cause is anemia (most often due to low iron stores or a B12 or folate deficiency). HgbA1C measures the percentage of Hgb that is glycosylated. So less hemoglobin meas that percentage will be elevated.
Kidney failure is another cause (maybe due to the anemia associated with it) so I would look further into your possible kidney problem.
Also chronic stress can cause an elevated HgbA1C although I wouldn't expect you to be losing weight if this was the reason.
A high intake of vitamin C can cause either falsely elevated or falsely decrease HgA1c levels depending on the method the lab uses to test this.
I haven't heard of the keto diet causing kidney problems.
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Barbara Schibly Thank you for the information. My hemoglobin level and hemoracrit have either been slightly higher than normal or at the high end of normal for years. I am not sure if this has anything to do with my A1C levels.
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Have you had your spleen removed? What are fasting blood sugar and insulin levels?
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I have not had my spleen removed. Fasting blood sugar is 120-130. I cannot get a doctor to run a fasting insulin test. I have been doing some research and it seems Bystolic may cause blood sugars and A1C's to go up. I sent a message to my cardiologist to see if I can switch meds. The PCP is going to run the labs again in 3 months.
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A fasting insulin would be helpful. You can probably order one yourself from Life Extension or if you have an Any Lab Test Now close to where you live you can just stop in and have them do one. It would be self-pay of course.
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Barbara thank you for the post about Any Lab Test Now, there is one 10 minutes from my house. I will be going there to get in done.
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I am T-2 diabetic. When I started Keto last month my A1C was 7.5, up from 6.3 just 3 months earlier. A1C is a long term 90+ day calculation. I am not sure what kind of doctor is testing it every 1 - 2 months but they should know the results will not be accurate. Okay, back to my results as a Keto diabetic dieter. My fbs is down from 189 avg. to 95 avg. since 6/10/19. Between meals I went from 20 units of insulin 3 times a day to maybe at most around 10 units a week. I do not even need my 24 hours extended release anymore. I do not know but if your doctor is not an Endocrinologist you may want to consult one. I am no Medical Professional but I come from a family with some and I have been dealing with diabetes long enough to be able to say that I have found Keto to be a good source to control my medical issues and I have many including liver and kidney disease. But always use info in forum as a template to assist you but never use it in place of sound medical advice, especially if you have pre-existing conditions.
