Shadowing Practice: What Your A1C Numbers Really Mean | Pharmacist Explains - Learn English Speaking with Video

But in this video, we will discuss what the A1C test is, why it's called hemoglobin A1C,

why it is important, and what lesser known factors can raise a person's A1C.

I will also explain how this test is different from your EAG, or estimated average blood glucose,

and how you can calculate that on your own using a very simple tool.

The hemoglobin A1c test is a relatively simple blood test

that tells you a lot about your blood glucose or blood sugar control for the past two to three months.

So what does hemoglobin A1c mean anyways?

Hemoglobin is a protein that is found in your red blood cells.

In fact, the healthy adult human body makes about 2 million new red blood cells every second

and that requires a lot of hemoglobin.

Now, there are various types of hemoglobin, with Hgba1 being the most common,

making up about 98% of Hgba.

The A in Hgba stands for adult, and after about 6 months of age, nearly all hemoglobin is type A.

Type A1 has subtypes, A1A, A1B, A1C, and others, with A1C being the most prevalent.

Hemoglobin A1C, or HGBA1C, is significant because it is hemoglobin with sugar attached to it.

The hemoglobin on your red blood cells has the job of

carrying oxygen from the lungs to all the cells of the body.

Glucose also enters your red blood cells and links up or glycates with molecules of hemoglobin.

The more glucose in your blood, the more hemoglobin gets glycated.

When hemoglobin is glycated, it stays that way until the red blood cell dies, which has an average lifespan of three to four months.

Therefore, your A1C level indicates your average glucose levels over the last few months, making it an excellent marker for glucose control.

There are some instances, however, in which this test may be somewhat misleading.

For instance, if you have experienced recent blood loss, you will have a lot of new red blood cells that have had less exposure to glucose.

So your A1c may be lower, as a higher percentage of hemoglobin may not yet be glycated.

Or, if you have anemia, such as iron deficiency anemia, you usually have less hemoglobin, and because there is less hemoglobin,

it is likely that the hemoglobin you do have may be heavily glycated, thus leading to a higher A1c result.

Finally, those with kidney disease may also have a higher A1c than it really is because of anemia and other factors.

Kidney disease can also read falsely low because blood cells aren't lasting long enough to become glycated in people with kidney disease.

This is important because people with diabetes can often have kidney disease as well.

So regardless of whether you are pre-diabetic or have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, or whether you are perfectly healthy, when we think of the hemoglobin A1c test,

we understand that by measuring the percentage of A1c in the blood, we get an overview of your average blood glucose control for the past few months.

Now, the American Diabetes Association suggests that your doctor should measure your A1C level at least twice a year.

So what should your numbers be?

When it comes to numbers, there's no one-size-fits-all target.

The goal for most adults with diabetes is an A1C that is less than 7%.

According to the American and Diabetes Association, if your A1C level is between 5.7 and less than 6.5%,

your levels have been in the pre-diabetes range.

If you have an A1C level of 6.5 percent or higher, your levels are in the diabetes range.

A1C target levels can vary by each person's age and other factors, and your target may be different from someone else's.

Another important term that you may come across when finding out your A1C is EAG, or estimated average glucose.

EAG is similar to what you see when monitoring your blood glucose at home on your meter.

However, because you are more likely to check your blood glucose in the morning and before meals, your meter readings will likely be lower than your EAG.

I will include a link to a calculator you can use

to convert your A1C to an estimated average blood glucose number in the description of this video.

Now remember that your A1C target is your own.

You are unique and you need advice based on your own set of circumstances.

A1C targets often change over time, sometimes decreasing and sometimes increasing.

It all depends on the person and on the particular circumstances of that person.

If you have found this information helpful, leave a comment and be sure to like and subscribe for more videos

that help you better understand and advocate for your health.

Thank you for joining me take care and stay healthy bye

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46 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “What Your A1C Numbers Really Mean”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: hemoglobin, blood, glucose, cell, diabetes. This video has 51 sentences and 826 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:12. The speaker talks at a natural 159 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
hemoglobin noun	/ˌhimoʊˈɡloʊbɪn/	The iron-containing substance in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body; it consists of a protein (globulin), and haem…
glucose noun	/ˈɡluː.kəʊz/	A simple monosaccharide (sugar) with a molecular formula of C₆H₁₂O₆; a principle source of energy for cellular metabolism.
diabetes noun	/ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/	Diabetes mellitus; any of a group of metabolic diseases whereby a person (or other animal) has high blood sugar due to an inability to produce, or inability to…
glycated adjective		glycosylated
kidney noun	/ˈkɪdni/	An organ in the body that filters the blood, producing urine.
anemia noun	/əˈnimi.ə/	A medical condition in which the capacity of the blood to transport oxygen to the tissues is reduced, either because of too few red blood cells, or because of…
circumstance noun	/ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/	Something which is related to, or in some way affects, a fact or event.
metre noun	/ˈmiːtəɹ/	The basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International d'Unités), equal to the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in…
diabetic adjective	/daɪəˈbɛtɪk/	Of or pertaining to diabetes, especially diabetes mellitus.
glycate verb		To react with an amino group of a protein
lifespan noun	/ˈlaɪf.spæn/	The length of time for which an organism lives.
mislead verb	/mɪsˈliːd/	To lead astray, in a false direction.
subtype noun		A group of specific things within a larger, more general group.
calculator noun	/kæl.kjə.leɪ.tɚ/	A mechanical or electronic device that performs mathematical calculations; (now usually) an electronic one specifically.
falsely adverb		In a false manner.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
come across verb	To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition.
find out verb	To discover, as by asking or investigating.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	have experienced · have been · have found
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	is found · is glycated · be glycated

Pronunciation to watch

Long words — get the stress right: hemoglobin /ˌhimoʊˈɡloʊbɪn/, anemia /əˈnimi.ə/, calculator /kæl.kjə.leɪ.tɚ/, deficiency /dɪˈfɪʃənsi/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like hemoglobin, glucose, diabetes.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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