Facts to know about prediabetes

Prediabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as Type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is still a serious disease that can lead to heart disease, stroke, and other serious health problems if left unchecked. You don't have to have symptoms of prediabetes or get tested for it to take action to prevent developing full-blown type 2 diabetes.

What is Prediabetes?

Prediabetes is when your blood sugar is elevated but not high enough for you to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

• You may not know that you have prediabetes.

• Prediabetes is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, but not all people who have prediabetes go on to develop it.

40 million Americans have prediabetes

The good news is that prediabetes is not well-known and many people don't know they have it. Although the effects of prediabetes are not as severe as those of type 2 diabetes, they can still be life-threatening if left untreated.

It is estimated to affect 40 million Americans—that’s one in five American adults! The condition often goes undiagnosed because it doesn’t cause symptoms until later on in life when it becomes harder to reverse and manage.

In addition to being relatively unknown by most people (and therefore underreported), there are other reasons why this condition may go unnoticed: For example, some doctors may not consider prediabetes as a risk factor for developing full-blown diabetes because their patients aren't exhibiting any obvious signs yet; however, this isn't always true!

Diabetes does not always appear suddenly with no prior warning signs at all—the earliest sign usually comes after a few years or decades after someone has been diagnosed with their first type 1 or 2 diabetes case respectively."

Almost 90 % of them don't know they have it

Prediabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. People with prediabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as an increased risk of death from all causes.

About 84 million Americans have prediabetes, and almost 90 percent don't know they have it. If you fall into this group, your doctor may recommend weight loss or exercise changes to help reduce or eliminate it. Be sure to talk with him before making any changes so he can help guide you through them safely.

Prediabetes has no symptoms

You may not know that you have prediabetes, but most people with prediabetes have no symptoms. That's because the condition develops slowly over time and doesn't cause any changes in your blood sugar levels. People who have it are at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes later on.

People with prediabetes often don't know they're at risk for diabetes because they don't feel sick or lose weight regularly. This can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease and stroke—and even death!

Weight loss can help

To help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, you can lose a small amount of weight if you are overweight and get regular physical activity. This is especially important for men, who are at increased risk of diabetes because they tend to carry more body fat than women.

Losing 5-10% of your body weight may help lower your blood sugar levels and prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in some people who already have the disease. The most important thing is that you get moving: It will not only help with weight loss but also improve other aspects of health like cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

Prediabetes is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiac disease. It's also known to lead to kidney disease, eye problems, nerve damage and even some cancers.

Diagnose prediabetes

A blood test can diagnose prediabetes. It's called a fasting plasma glucose test, and it measures your blood sugar level before you've eaten anything.

A second test is an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). This involves eating a high-carb meal and then measuring how much glucose your body produces after digesting that food for two hours. The results of both tests are combined to determine whether or not you have prediabetes, as well as how severe it is:

• Fasting plasma glucose: 126 mg/dL on two separate occasions within the past year

• OGTT: 70–110 mg/dL on at least three separate occasions within the past 6 months

Prediabetes is important to recognize early

Prediabetes is a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease and stroke. It's not well-known because it can be hard to diagnose if you don't have symptoms. But if you're at risk for prediabetes—and your doctor thinks you might be—it's important to get tested early on so that you can take steps before your health gets worse.

Reversal of Diabetes

A daily injection of insulin is required to manage type 1 diabetes. Science has yet to discover a treatment for or a cure for type 1 diabetes. An individual with type 2 diabetes may be able to reverse their condition by losing weight. A person is considered to be in remission if they have had normal blood sugar levels for at least six months.

Prediabetic people can reverse insulin resistance by exercising frequently and losing weight. These steps might halt or postpone the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Conclusion

We hope you'll remember these facts the next time someone asks you about prediabetes. We all have a responsibility to be informed, so let's make sure everyone knows. By this time, insulin resistance and blood sugar levels may have begun to rise dangerously.

Most people do not know they have prediabetes until it develops into diabetes and begins to create serious health issues because it usually does not present any active symptoms. Your body probably struggles to control your blood sugar levels after meals if you have prediabetes. Avoiding blood sugar rises can be accomplished by watching your carb consumption.

Anyone who is at risk of developing diabetes should therefore have regular screenings. High BMI and waist circumference, being 45 years of age or older, and the existence of other cardiovascular diseases are risk factors. Prediabetes can frequently be reversed with a consistent exercise routine and a healthy, low-sugar diet.