Pre-Diabetes
What is pre-diabetes?
Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood sugar (glucose) levels are above normal, but as of yet, not high enough to be called diabetes. About 57 million Americans have pre-diabetes; many of them are not aware of their blood sugar levels nor that they are pre-diabetic. Studies have shown that damage to the heart and other organs can already be occurring when the blood sugar level is above normal.
Are you at risk for having pre-diabetes?
Your chances of developing pre-diabetes increase as you get older and also if:
- you are overweight (Body Mass Index {BMI}25 or higher)*
- you have a family history of diabetes (parent, brother or sister)
- you had diabetes during a pregnancy
- you are physically inactive
- you have a condition called metabolic syndrome
- you are African American, Native American, Asian American, Pacific Islander or Hispanic American
How do you know if you have pre-diabetes?
A blood test can help determine if you have pre-diabetes:
- One test is a fasting glucose test and it requires you to “fast”, which means you have nothing to eat or drink (except plain water) for at least 8 hours. Pre-diabetes is diagnosed if your fasting glucose test is between 100-125 mg/dl.
- Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) which measures blood glucose after you have fasted overnight and 2 hours after drinking a special sugar liquid. Pre-diabetes is diagnosed if your OGTT result is between 140-199mg/dl.
- Hemoglobin A1C which gives a measure of your average blood sugar for he past 8-12 weeks. Pre-diabetes suggested if your levels is 5.7%-6.4%
What should you do if you have pre-diabetes?
If pre-diabetes is not treated, it can progress to type 2 diabetes. The secret is to make healthy food choices, decrease the size of your food servings and get moving!
Things you can do include:
- cut back on the calories and the fat in your foods
- cut back on the size of your food servings
- drink water instead of soft drinks, juice and alcohol
- eat whole grain bread and cereals
- eat more vegetables and fruit
- increase physical activity, start slowly and work up to at least 30 minutes a day, 5-7 days a week (check with your physician before starting an exercise program)
- if overweight, a 5-10% weight loss can decrease your risk
Currently there are no medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for pre-diabetes. But, the good news is that there are things you can do to reverse pre-diabetes. The best way is by eating less, moving more and losing weight!
Reference: American Diabetes Association; www.diabetes.org