Although the A1c test provides important information about how blood glucose has behaved over the preceding three months, the blood sugar fluctuations after meals have a greater impact on diabetic complications. GlycoMark is a test that monitors mealtime spikes over 2 days to 2 weeks in a single sample.

For diabetics who have good control (A1c less than 7.3%), blood glucose levels immediately following meals account for up to 70% of their total A1c. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that controlling after-meal glucose levels is critically important in reducing diabetic complications. GlycoMark measures the brief blood glucose elevations (postprandial hyperglycemia) by reading 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG). 1,5-AG drops as blood glucose rises above the renal threshold of glucose. The renal threshold of glucose is the blood sugar at which the kidneys start excreting sugar into the urine.1,5-AG decreases rapidly in people with elevated blood sugar.

It is important to note that GlycoMark values decrease when blood sugar increases. An increase in 1,5-AG would indicate improvement, and decrease would indicate worsening of glycemic control. Upon return of better glycemic control, 1,5-AG increases at a constant rate. This consistent recovery rate in 1,5-AG levels provides a rapid indication of the patient's response to treatment. With the GlycoMark, perhaps now we can really evaluate the affects of certain types of foods and how they affect our ability to control our blood sugar after meals. Fore more details, checkout the full brochure online.