This ONE Marker Is Making Fit People Look Unhealthy
Why do some of the fittest people on earth show “pre-diabetic” A1C levels… even when their glucose, insulin, and metabolic health are excellent?
In this episode of Beyond Healthspan, we break down the mysterious Hemoglobin A1C Paradox, a surprising phenomenon where endurance athletes and highly trained individuals show higher A1C scores despite having elite metabolic markers.
We also reference our full research review on this topic here: https://www.gethealthspan.com/researc...
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Timestamps:
00:00 – Why your A1C might not mean what you think
01:45 – How A1C actually works
04:00 – Red blood cell lifespan & false-high A1C
07:20 – The endurance athlete paradox
10:30 – The triglyceride-HDL ratio shortcut
15:00 – How intense training spikes glucose
18:00 – What CGMs reveal about elite athletes
22:30 – When high A1C is actually dangerous
28:00 – Simulating how much exercise raises A1C
34:00 – When to worry & what to test next
36:00 – Final takeaway: Context is everything
If you train hard, run long, bike fast, or push your body daily — you NEED to watch this.