A co-worker shared that she received notice from her doctor that she is prediabetic. She shared it with her mom who is a nutritionist (I know right?) who was super sad.
So what exactly is prediabetes? According to Diabetes.org here is the definition and what you can do to prevent prediabetes which leads to type 2 diabetes.
Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have prediabetes which is, blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Doctors sometimes refer to prediabetes as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG), depending on what test was used when it was detected. This condition puts you at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
There are no clear symptoms of prediabetes, so, you may have it and not know it.
Some people with prediabetes may have some of the symptoms of diabetes or even problems from diabetes already. You usually find out that you have prediabetes when being tested for diabetes.
If you have prediabetes, you should be checked for type 2 diabetes every one to two years.
Results indicating prediabetes are:
- An A1C of 5.7% – 6.4%
- Fasting blood glucose of 100 – 125 mg/dl
- An OGTT 2 hour blood glucose of 140 mg/dl – 199 mg/dl
What to do to prevent prediabetes and diabetes as a whole?
Research shows that you can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes by 58% by:
- Losing 7% of your body weight (or 15 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds)
- Exercising moderately (such as brisk walking) 30 minutes a day, five days a week
Don’t worry if you can’t get to your ideal body weight. Losing even 10 to 15 pounds can make a huge difference.
Patient Education Materials — All About Prediabetes
This two-page introduction to prediabetes is in PDF format so you can download it, print it, and hand it out to patients.
– See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diagnosis/?referrer=https://www.google.com/#sthash.vdsOszVQ.dpuf
Until next time…
MrsDeveter 