Glycated Hemoglobin is a Better Predictor than Fasting Glucose for Cardiometabolic Risk in Non-diabetic Korean Women

This study aimed to investigate if glycated hemoglobin (Hgb(A1C)) as compared to fasting blood glucose is better for reflecting cardiometabolic risk in non-diabetic Korean women. Fasting glucose, Hgb(A1C) and lipid profiles were measured in non-diabetic women without disease (n = 91). The relationships of fasting glucose or Hgb(A1C) with anthropometric parameters, lipid profiles, and liver and kidney functions were analyzed. Both fasting glucose and Hgb(A1C) were negatively correlated with HDL-cholesterol (r = -0.287, p = 0.006; r = -0.261, p = 0.012), and positively correlated with age (r = 0.202, p = 0.008; r = 0.221, p = 0.035), waist circumference (r = 0.296, p = 0.005; r = 0.304, p = 0.004), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (r = 0.206, p = 0.050; r = 0.225, p = 0.032), aspartate transaminase (AST) (r = 0.237, p = 0.024; r = 0.368, p < 0.0001), alanine transaminase (ALT) (r = 0.296, p = 0.004; r = 0.356, p = 0.001), lipid profiles including triglyceride (r = 0.372, p < 0.001; r = 0.208, p = 0.008), LDL-cholesterol (r = 0.315, p = 0.002; r = 0.373, p < 0.0001) and total cholesterol (r = 0.310, p = 0.003; r = 0.284, p = 0.006). When adjusted for age and body mass index, significant relationships of DBP (r = 0.190, p = 0.049), AST (r = 0.262, p = 0.018), ALT (r = 0.277, p = 0.012), and HDL-cholesterol (r = -0.202, p = 0.049) with Hgb(A1C) were still retained, but those with fasting glucose disappeared. In addition, the adjusted relationships of LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol with Hgb(A1C) were much greater than those with fasting glucose. These results suggest that glycated hemoglobin may be a better predictor than fasting glucose for cardiometabolic risk in non-diabetic Korean women.