This year, major league baseball is expanding the use of instant replay, so coaches and/or managers can challenge almost any call an umpire makes, except balls and strikes. By allowing the review of questionable calls ("He's safe!" "No way!") from several camera angles, fewer games may be decided by a faulty call.

With diabetes, it can be just as difficult to make perfect calls ("I can eat this cookie." "I just need a little extra insulin").

And when you blow a call, you can end up paying with a risky low blood sugar incident or with a spike in your glucose that silently damages your cardiovascular system.

Well, Johns Hopkins researchers have demonstrated that adding blood tests for fructosamine and glycated albumin to your glucose checkup may provide two new angles on how you're managing your diabetes, or whether you're likely to develop it. The tests also tell you if you're at heightened risk for diabetes-related vision problems and kidney disease.

You'll get these tests between your three- and six-month blood tests for HbA1c, an average of your glucose levels in the past several months. They'll let you know how you've been doing in the past two to four weeks, which is especially useful if you're pregnant, anemic or already have kidney or liver disease.

So if you're worried that diabetes is in your future or you're having trouble stabilizing your A1c readings, ask your doctor about these tests. Then you may get a clearer view of what you need to do to control your diabetes.

© 2014 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.