Going in to give blood might also give you a wake up call about your own health. New data from the American Red Cross show that one in five blood donors had elevated hemoglobin A1C levels, a sign of prediabetes or diabetes, during the first year of the organization’s free A1C screening program. The finding comes from tests on more than 920,000 donors in 2025 and has pushed the Red Cross to expand the screening nationwide, turning routine donation trips into potential early warning checks for metabolic risk.
According to the American Red Cross, the results are based on three testing periods in 2025 and show that about 80% of donors with elevated A1C fell into the prediabetes range. The organization is pitching the screenings as a way to reach people where they already are, using donation appointments as a low-friction chance to catch problems earlier and encourage follow up care.
"By sharing personalized health insights, we're empowering people who come in to save someone else's life to also potentially save their own," Dr. Pampee Young, the Red Cross chief medical officer, said in the release. Donors will be able to see their A1C result within one to two weeks through the Red Cross Blood Donor App or the online donor portal.
What A1C Numbers Mean
The A1C test measures a person’s average blood sugar over the previous two to three months and does not require fasting, which makes it practical to pair with blood donation. Health authorities classify an A1C below 5.7% as normal, 5.7% to 6.4% as prediabetes, and 6.5% or higher as diabetes, according to NIDDK.
How the March Screenings Work
As reported by FOX 10 Phoenix, the Red Cross will provide free A1C screening on all successful blood, platelet and plasma donations from March 1 through 31. Donors who give during that window will also receive a $15 Amazon.com gift card by email. Neither FOX 10 Phoenix nor the Red Cross indicate any need to fast before donating, and both note that donors can expect A1C results within one to two weeks through the donor app.
Why This Matters
The Red Cross findings arrive against a backdrop of widespread metabolic disease in the United States. The CDC's National Diabetes Statistics Report estimates that about 115.2 million U.S. adults have prediabetes and roughly 40.1 million have diabetes. Because many people with prediabetes do not know they have it, catching elevated A1C levels at blood drives could become an important way to steer people toward medical evaluation and treatment.
What To Do If Your A1C Is Elevated
Anyone who receives an elevated A1C result is urged to follow up with a primary care provider for confirmatory testing and guidance on next steps. Structured lifestyle programs, along with modest weight loss and increased physical activity, have been shown to delay or prevent progression to type 2 diabetes, according to NIDDK, which notes that these strategies are modeled on the Diabetes Prevention Program.
