Latest HbA1c debate examines race as nonglycemic factor
December 2015—In 2010, the American Diabetes Association endorsed the use of hemoglobin A1c to diagnose type 2 diabetes, and fierce arguments over the wisdom of that move have ensued ever since. A 2013 debate at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry’s annual meeting featured a spirited dialogue on the merits of using HbA1c as a diagnostic marker, compared with the traditional—and still ADA-recommended—alternatives, fasting plasma glucose and two-hour plasma glucose.