Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), %

Your average blood sugar over the past two to three months, reported as a percentage.

Last reviewedAugust 17, 2026

Whole blood

sample type

~3 mL

blood needed

~10 days

results in app

Any time of day

best timing

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Why test Reference ranges What you'll learn What affects it How testing works Sources FAQ

In short

When sugar circulates in your blood, a small amount attaches to haemoglobin, the protein inside red blood cells that carries oxygen. That combination is called glycated haemoglobin, or HbA1c.

The percentage form tells you how much of your total haemoglobin carries sugar. Since red blood cells live about three months, the result reflects your average blood sugar across that period rather than what you ate this morning.

Metabolic & Diabetes

Reviewed against DGKL reference practice.

Why test this?

HbA1c is the standard way to screen for prediabetes and diabetes, and to follow blood sugar control over time. A single glucose reading only shows one moment. HbA1c smooths that out across the whole life of your red blood cells, so a short run of good or bad days does not distort the picture.

Rising values give you time to act before symptoms appear. Because the change is slow, it is also a fair way to see whether a change in food, movement, sleep or medication is working.

What is a normal result?

Aniva reads your result against research-backed ranges, not just the lab's wide normal. The reference shown below is specific to this biomarker.

Adult reference values as used by Aniva. Ranges are guidance and can vary by laboratory and method.

Group	Normal range	Optimal range
Adults	4 to 5.7 %	4.5 to 5.4 %

Sources: ADA Standards of Care in Diabetes 2024 (Diagnosis)

Your Aniva report reads your result against these values together with your age, sex and the rest of your panel.

Ranges are guidance and vary by lab and assay, aligned with DGKL practice. Always read your result against your own lab's reference interval.

What insights will this test give you?

Where your average blood sugar sits, in the units most clinicians and guidelines use.
Whether you fall in the normal, prediabetes or diabetes range.
A stable number to compare year over year, without the day to day noise of a single glucose reading.

What can affect this result?

What can skew the result

Anything that shortens or lengthens the life of red blood cells changes HbA1c without changing your actual blood sugar. Recent blood loss, haemolysis, iron deficiency, pregnancy, kidney disease and some haemoglobin variants all shift the result. In those situations your clinician may prefer fructosamine or continuous glucose monitoring.

Best interpreted with

Read together with fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR and the estimated average glucose value, which is calculated from this same result.

How is this tested?

Sample

Whole blood

Blood needed

~3 mL

Method

HPLC or immunoassay

Best timing

Any time of day

Sources. The evidence behind this

LOINC 4548-4: Hemoglobin A1c in blood

MedlinePlus: A1c Test

ADA Standards of Care in Diabetes 2024

Common questions

What does my HbA1c percentage mean? It shows the share of your haemoglobin that carries sugar, which reflects your average blood sugar over about three months. Below 5.7 percent is normal, 5.7 to 6.4 percent suggests prediabetes, and 6.5 percent or above points to diabetes.

Do I need to fast for this test? No. HbA1c can be taken at any time of day, whether or not you have eaten.

What can affect my result? Iron deficiency, recent blood loss, haemolysis, pregnancy, kidney disease and some inherited haemoglobin variants can move the result up or down without your blood sugar changing.

How often should I test it? Once a year is enough for most people with a normal result. If you are in the prediabetes range or working on a change, every three to six months shows progress sooner.

How long do results take? Results are usually ready in about 10 days.

What should I discuss with my clinician? Share your family history, any symptoms, and your current medicines. Ask whether fasting glucose, insulin or a glucose tolerance test would add anything for you.

Which Aniva panels include this marker?

Core

Your annual full-body baseline with more than 100 biomarkers, included in your Aniva membership.