Haemoglobin A1c or HbA1c is a biomarker of how well your body has been handling blood sugar over the last three months. HbA1c is one of the most important tests you can do to understand your metabolic health. A high HbA1c level can mean you're on the path to pre-diabetes or diabetes. Even within the normal range, we know that the lower your HbA1c, the better.

We interpret the HbA1c blood test as follows:

Haemoglobin A1c is a type of haemoglobin (a protein in your red blood cells) that has sugar stuck to it. The more sugar that's stuck to your haemoglobin, the higher your average blood sugar levels over the last few months.

In short, everyone should know their HbA1c level. It's a key health biomarker that you should track every year at least. If you see your HbA1c creeping up over time, it's a sign you need to act before you get pre-diabetes or diabetes.

Pre-diabetes is a condition where your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. It's a warning sign that you're on the path to diabetes and that you need to make changes to your lifestyle to avoid it.