The term 5% Club was coined in a.s.d. on June 12, 2000 by a regular poster. It means that someone has gained excellent control of their diabetes and has received an HbA1c reading of less than 6.0%. Because our newsgroup is limited to ASCII text-only, the "certificate" isn't very pretty, but it is very meaningful.

Many have asked "Why 5%?" If one looks at the charts showing the risk of retinopathy and nephropathy, as developed in the DCCT and UKPDS studies, one will see a sharp increase in risk at an A1c of approximately 6.0%. Therefore, an A1c of less than 6.0% is evidence that the poster has done everything he or she can to minimize that risk. Remember, unless your lab is DCCT-calibrated, normal ranges do vary.

It is important to note that not everyone, especially Type-1 diabetics, will be able to reach an A1c in the 5s, so it should be regarded as a goal. Type-1 diabetics, and anyone injecting insulin, should weigh the increased risks of hypoglycemia against this goal.