DEAR DR. ROACH: I had an eye issue last year that led to blood tests resulting in an elevated A1C.

I said that it wasn’t my blood; I am plant-based, exercise regularly and don’t drink sodas or alcoholic beverages. Of course, they wanted to start me on medication for prediabetes, but I opted to see if I could fix it with dietary changes first.

I was told to limit bread, pasta and rice, among other things vegans eat, and proceeded to lose a lot of weight. (I don’t have much to spare.) During my recent blood test, my A1C was still high at 6.1%. Looking into it a bit further, my physician’s assistant realized that low iron can impact A1C readings, and I have always had low iron. I take a supplement almost daily with an orange.

Please tell your readers about this so as not to scare them into

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