0:00 Introduction: The effects of sugar on the body

0:25 A1C explained

1:40 How sugar affects the red blood cells

8:55 Understanding A1C and your blood sugar

13:35 Check out my video on diabetes!

Sugar doesn't just cause weight gain—it has negative effects on almost every part of your body. Today we're going to talk about how sugar affects your red blood cells.

A1C is a test that measures how much sugar is stuck to your red blood cells. If you have an A1C of 5.7% or less, that would be considered normal. An A1C between 5.7% and 6.4% would be considered prediabetes, and 6.4% or higher would be considered diabetes.

A healthy red blood cell is flexible, and it should be able to free flow and carry oxygen through the body. Sugar lowers the ability of the red blood cells to carry oxygen and reduces the volume of red blood cells.