What PreDiabetes means ?
Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Prediabetes means that your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but it’s not yet increased enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. Still, without intervention, prediabetes is likely to become type 2 diabetes in 10 years or less. And, if you have prediabetes, the long-term damage of diabetes — especially to your heart and circulatory system — may already be starting.
The word pre-diabetes refers to is going on within you body prior to the time when you actually develop diabetes. type two diabetes is the most prevalent type, and the one we are referring to. Your blood sugar is above normal at this time, but not yet on the level of a diabetic. And, in general, this would be the phase to develop symptoms of pre-diabetes
Can an elevated blood sugar level generate any pre-diabetic symptoms? Let’s take a closer look at pre or borderline diabetes and see. You would think the best advice for anyone at this time would be to stay alert for any symptoms, and have your blood sugar checked immediately if any symptom appears.
My first point will probably amaze most of you. Officially. the symptoms of prediabetes do not exist. That’s right, there are none. As you sit there reading this you could be succumbing to diabetes hour after hour and never know it.
Another point. There is a great deal of disagreement among doctors about how to react to the discovery of pre-diabetes. Some doctors are satisfied to keep an eye on things while others believe that pre-diabetes is the first stage of diabetes, and aggressive treatment is called for from the moment it is detected. What to do about it is still open since we have no way of knowing which pre-diabetics will eventually become diabetic and which won’t.
Another point, the controversy over the best course to prescribe for an individual with pre-diabetes has not been unsettled either, so you can expect to see scientists pumping out new research in this area.
With no symptoms of pre-diabetes to warn us what can we do about it now. There are two ways to check if you are headed toward diabetes: compare your self to the precursors of diabetes: overweight, high blood pressure, junk food junkie, etc, or use the official way to determine it: check your blood sugar to see if it’s above normal, but not yet in the diabetic range yet.
If you are pre-diabetic you have avoided a major disease so far, but you are far from safe. Meaning? If you don’t face it now, you are going to have to face being a diabetic later, diabetes is incurable, and controlling diabetes is a nightmare.
Not every pre-diabetic becomes diabetic, it is fair to say, but you are gambling on a roulette wheel with your system, you never know until it’s over as to whether you’ve won or lost your bet.
If you are overweight or have a history in the family of diabetes, then you should check with your doctor periodically for a blood test, because there are no symptoms of pre-diabetes.
There’s good news, however. Prediabetes can be an opportunity for you to improve your health, because progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes isn’t inevitable. With healthy lifestyle changes — such as eating healthy foods, including physical activity in your daily routine and maintaining a healthy weight — you may be able to bring your blood sugar level back to normal.
Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have “pre-diabetes“—blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. There are 57 million people in the United States who have pre-diabetes. Recent research has shown that some long-term damage to the body, especially the heart and circulatory system, may already be occurring during pre-diabetes.
How to tell if you have pre-diabetes ?
While diabetes and pre-diabetes occur in people of all ages and races, some groups have a higher risk for developing the disease than others. Diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population. This means they are also at increased risk for developing pre-diabetes.
There are three different tests your doctor can use to determine whether you have pre-diabetes: the A1C test, the fasting plasma glucose test (FPG) or the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The blood glucose levels measured after these tests determine whether you have a normal metabolism, or whether you have pre-diabetes or diabetes. If your blood glucose level is abnormal following the FPG, you have impaired fasting glucose (IFG); if your blood glucose level is abnormal following the OGTT, you have impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Both are also known as pre-diabetes.
How to prevent pre-diabetes ?
Pre-diabetes is a serious medical condition that can be treated. The good news is that the recently completed Diabetes Prevention Program study conclusively showed that people with pre-diabetes can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes by making changes in their diet and increasing their level of physical activity. They may even be able to return their blood glucose levels to the normal range.
While the DPP also showed that some medications may delay the development of diabetes, diet and exercise worked better. Just 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity, coupled with a 5-10% reduction in body weight, produced a 58% reduction in diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association is developing materials that will help people understand their risks for pre-diabetes and what they can do to halt the progression to diabetes and even to, “turn back the clock” In the meantime, ADA has a wealth of resources for people with diabetes or at risk for diabetes that can be of use to people interested in pre-diabetes.
Nutrition
Making Healthy Food Choices
ADA’s statement for health professionals on nutrition
The American Diabetes Association bookstore has award-winning books on nutrition, recipes, weight loss, meal planning and more.
Fitness and Exercise
Tips on how to include a healthy amount of physical activity into your daily routine:
Fitness, Exercise and Diabetes
ADA’s statement for health professionals on exercise
You can get fit, reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes, and support the American Diabetes Association by participating in America’s Walk for Diabetes.
Tools
Small Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent type 2 diabetes.
The National Diabetes Education Program has designed a national awareness campaign to target people at risk for type 2 diabetes. The campaign will create awareness that type 2 diabetes can be prevented through modest lifestyle changes and losing about 5 to 7 percent of body weight. More about Small Steps on Diabetes.org.
| Pre-Diabetes: “Check Engine” Warning Light | |||
| by: David Anderson | |||
| Your car has an early detection system and so does your body. Take 3 minutes to read this article and learn how you can save yourself a life time of aches, pains, and costly medical bills.Have you ever had the “Check Engine” warning light come on in your car? Most newer cars have a system that monitors the performance of your car. If something is not working properly, the “Check Engine” light usually comes on.
The good news is that this “pre-warning” system can help you avoid costly damage, which may be occurring with your vehicle, by detecting small problems before they become big problems. However, the only way to be certain is to have your car inspected by an expert mechanic when the “Check Engine” light comes on. Did you know that your body has a “pre-warning” system?
With many diseases, your body will start producing symptoms such as aches, pains, fatigue, frequent thirst, and so on. These symptoms are your body’s “Check Engine” light, warning you about problems. However, with diabetes, pre-warning signs don’t always show up so easily. The medical community is calling it: Pre-Diabetes. Today, roughly 41 million Americans have pre-diabetes which left undetected and untreated, progresses into full-blown diabetes. The challenge with pre-diabetes is the fact that the condition doesn’t like to reveal itself with noticeable symptoms. Because there are few, if any symptoms, most people will not bother having screening tests performed. With pre-diabetes, noticeable symptoms like frequent thirst and urination may not occur until the disease has progressed and is already causing considerable damage to your body. Most Type 2 diabetics don’t have symptoms because the onset of diabetes is so slow. Don’t wait for your “Check Engine” light to come on. Have your blood tested. Call your doctor today and make the appointment. The goal with identifying pre-diabetes is to prevent the onset of diabetes from ever happening. Your physician can determine if you have pre-diabetes with two common tests. The fasting plasma glucose test (FPG) and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Both require an overnight fast.
The good news is that you can greatly improve your odds and likely prevent diabetes with early detection and proper care. Don’t wait ’til it hurts. Ask your doctor about diabetes and have your blood sugar checked several times a year.
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