Prediabetes : "What is prediabetes & how can you reverse it?"

Sharing some words (and image) from Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE writing on Diet Doctor site

"What is prediabetes & how can you reverse it?
Have you been told that you have prediabetes or that you’re at risk for type 2 diabetes? You’re not alone. Prediabetes is extremely common, affecting more than one third of all American adults. (and a lot more world-wide).
The good news is that you can control, or even reverse, this condition by making a few simple diet and lifestyle changes — no medications required.

Read on to learn about prediabetes and the steps you can take today to reverse it.

What is prediabetes?

Prediabetes is a health condition in which your blood sugar levels are above the normal range but not high enough for you to be diagnosed with diabetes.

It is one of the most common conditions in the modern world, and the number of people affected by this condition is growing steadily.

Where does the high blood sugar come from?
The sugar (glucose) in your blood comes from eating certain foods and from your liver. Your liver stores sugar and releases it into your bloodstream as needed.

When you eat sugar and starches, they are broken down into glucose and quickly absorbed into your blood. This causes your blood sugar to begin rising. In response, your pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that directs glucose to move from your blood into your cells. When this is working well, the sugar, or glucose, in your blood stays within a narrow range.

If you have prediabetes, in most cases, your pancreas produces insulin normally, but your cells don’t fully respond to insulin’s effects. This is called insulin resistance, and it causes blood sugar to increase above the healthy range. As a result, your pancreas produces even more insulin in an attempt to return high blood sugar to normal levels.

During prediabetes, your blood sugar and insulin levels may gradually increase over several years. In short, you don’t go from having normal blood sugar one day to having type 2 diabetes the next. It’s an evolving process. And prediabetes is the intermediate step.

In some cases, diabetes complications can start developing during the prediabetes stage — including eye, kidney, and nerve damage — years before any symptoms occur.
Having prediabetes also increases your risk of heart disease.
So, it’s important to take prediabetes seriously."

In her article Franziska also writes about:

• How do I know if I have prediabetes?
• How to reverse prediabetes
• Exercise
• Other lifestyle changes

"What are the risk factors for prediabetes?
According to the CDC, several factors can increase your risk of prediabetes, including:

• having a BMI of 25 or more, especially if you carry excess weight around the middle and have other features of metabolic syndrome, such as elevated blood pressure
• being 45 years or older
• having a family history of type 2 diabetes, especially if you do not have obesity
• living a sedentary lifestyle
• having a history of gestational diabetes
• being of African, Indian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, or Native American ethnicity

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are also at increased risk of prediabetes.

Although meeting one or more of these criteria doesn’t mean that you will definitely get prediabetes, it increases your risk of developing it. So if you fall into any of these categories, you may want to get tested for prediabetes and start making lifestyle changes now to prevent developing prediabetes in the future.

Does having prediabetes mean I will get type 2 diabetes?
Based on the most recent research, more than half of all people with prediabetes are expected to develop diabetes at some point in their lifetime, while others will never progress beyond prediabetes.

In some studies, people with a fasting blood sugar level or A1c at the upper end of the prediabetes range were more likely to eventually develop type 2 diabetes than those whose levels were closer to the normal range.

But no matter where your blood sugar levels are now, you can control or even reverse prediabetes by changing how you eat and adopting other healthy lifestyle habits.

You have the power to achieve normal, healthy blood sugar and prevent type 2 diabetes — by taking control of your health. Start today!"

The above is a snippet from Franziska's original article which you can read in full with all relevant research links here

Please note that articles within this blog are provided for general information only and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider.

All the best Jan