New Delhi, Feb. 9 -- The widely used glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) test may not accurately reflect blood glucose levels for millions of Indians, according to a new evidence-based viewpoint published online in the Lancet Regional Health.

The crucial HbA1c test measures average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months by checking the percentage of haemoglobin coated with glucose. A normal range is below 5.7 per cent, while prediabetes is 5.7 per cent to 6.4 per cent, and diabetes is greater than or equal 6.5 per cent.

The study published in the Lancet Regional Health: Southeast Asia on February 9, 2026, revealed spurious results in the HbA1c test in populations with high prevalence of anaemia (endemic in India), hemo-globinopat...