What Does It Mean To Be Pre Diabetic

Can Prediabetes Be Prevented Or Avoided

Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes can be delayed and even prevented. Usually this is done by losing weight if you are overweight, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly. The longer you have prediabetes or diabetes, the more health problems you may experience. So even just delaying the onset of the disease can help your health.

What Does Prediabetes Mean And How To Control It

What does prediabetes mean? Can you reverse it? What can you do to control it? Learn all the tips to help you have a normal life.

The diagnosis of prediabetes can be alarming However, there are a number of recommendations that contribute to improving the lifestyle to facilitate its control. What does predeabetes mean? Do you have this problem? Learn the symptoms and tips to control it!

Are The Implications Of Being Diagnosed With Prediabetes As An Older Adult The Same As For A Younger Or Middle

Recent research has provided some interesting information about this issue. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study followed 4,000 adults who were 45 to 64 years old in the late 1980s. A recent analysis of 3,412 individuals from that group who were 71 or older found that those who had prediabetes at the start of this analysis were more likely to remain in this intermediate state of prediabetes, or return to normal glucose values instead of progressing to diabetes, after a follow-up period of 6.5 years. In fact, fewer than 12% of people in this study progressed from prediabetes to diabetes, no matter what test was used to measure blood sugar levels.

These findings would suggest that having prediabetes as an older adult does not seem to be as important in identifying the risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes as it is in younger adults.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Insulin Resistance And Prediabetes

Insulin resistance and prediabetes usually have no symptoms. Some people with prediabetes may have darkened skin in the armpit or on the back and sides of the neck, a condition called acanthosis nigricans. Many small skin growths called skin tags often appear in these same areas.

Even though blood glucose levels are not high enough to cause symptoms for most people, a few research studies have shown that some people with prediabetes may already have early changes in their eyes that can lead to retinopathy. This problem more often occurs in people with diabetes.

What Happens If Your Body Is Insulin Resistant

If your body is insulin resistant, heres what happens:

• Your glucose rises after you eat.
• Your pancreas releases insulin, but your cells resist the insulin and the glucose isnt introduced to the cells efficiently.
• The glucose stays in your blood because your cells arent burning the glucose for energy.

Over time, high blood sugar levels damage your cells and may lead to nerve damage, blood vessel and organ damage, cardiovascular disease and more.

Prediabetes can be a scary diagnosis, says Douglas Jones, MD, a physician at the Utah Valley Hospital Diabetes Management Clinic. But being told you have prediabetes isnt a death sentence. It can be a wake-up call to pay more attention to your body and make changes that will lead to a longer, healthier life.

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Diet For Borderline Diabetes

If you are overweight and have borderline diabetes, losing weight can be the best way to lower risk for developing diabetes. Losing a lot of weight is good, but so is losing just a few pounds. Losing 5 to 10% of your body weight can cut risk by over half, and losing just over 2 pounds can cut risk by 16%.

Lark DPP can help you set and work towards weight loss goals without making dramatic changes to your lifestyle. Instead, small changes can help you lose weight and keep it off. These include:

• Serving smaller portions of higher-calorie foods, such as refined carbs, fatty meats, desserts, and fried foods
• Choosing water, tea, or coffee instead of beverages with calories
• Cutting restaurant meals in half and saving the rest for later
• Eat slowly, enjoy your food, and stop eating when you are barely full
• Fill up on vegetables and lean proteins before moving to calorie-dense foods

The types of foods you eat also affect your risk for diabetes. These tips can help you choose a good prediabetes diet.

What About Exercise And Prediabetes

All exercise helps reverse prediabetes by using up sugar in the bloodstream and improving insulin sensitivity. An exercise plan should focus on two things:

Increasing muscle strength makes the cells of the muscle “hungrier , and that equals a healthier metabolism. You can build muscle by using weights, your own body weight, or resistance bands. If you choose weight training start slowly, and ask for help using the equipment safely and properly. Begin with low weights, and gradually work up to heavier weights. Lifting one round of heavy weights for only 6-8 repetitions has more benefit than one round of light weights for 10 or more repetitions. If you can do more than 10 repetitions, add more weight.

This plan also is great if you are in a hurry. You can complete a full workout in just 20 minutes twice a week. Work up to this gradually to avoid injury.

And, as always check with your health-care professional before starting any exercise program and get help using equipment properly to avoid injury.

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What Causes Borderline Diabetes

Genetics and lifestyle both affect risk for prediabetes and diabetes. These are some non-modifiable risk factors, or risk factors that you cannot do anything about.

• Older age
• Family history
• Being African-American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian-American, or Pacific Islander

There are many modifiable risk factors, or risk factors that your own choices can affect. They include the following.

• Being overweight
• Not being physically active
• Having a diet high in red meat and added sugars
• Having a diet low in vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats such as olive oil and nuts

Lark DPP can help you address the modifiable risk factors for diabetes to keep your risk as low as possible.

What Causes Insulin Resistance

Researchers dont understand exactly what causes cells to become insulin resistant. But its possible that carrying excess weight and being physically inactive contribute:

• Belly fat can increase inflammation in the body, which may lead to insulin resistance.
• Exercise causes changes in your body that help keep blood sugar levels in balance. Lack of activity makes it difficult to maintain that balance.

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What Are Clinical Trials And Are They Right For You

Clinical trials are part of clinical research and at the heart of all medical advances. Clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease. Researchers also use clinical trials to look at other aspects of care, such as improving the quality of life for people with chronic illnesses. Find out if clinical trials are right for you.

What Is The Relationship Between Pcos And Diabetes

We all need insulin to regulate our blood glucose levels. Insulin resistance occurs when the insulin made by your body doesnt work as well as it should. Body cells also become less sensitive to insulin, so your pancreas needs to make more and more insulin to control your blood glucose levels.

Between 65 and 80 per cent of women with PCOS have insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes and pre-diabetes, so if you have PCOS you also have a greater risk of developing these.

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Questions To Ask Your Doctor

• If I have prediabetes, will I get diabetes?
• What is the best step I can take to avoid getting diabetes?
• My father has diabetes. Should I be screened for prediabetes on a regular basis?
• I have diabetes. Should I have my children screened for prediabetes?
• I had gestational diabetes. Should I be screened for prediabetes regularly?
• Are there any foods I should eat that will help me to avoid prediabetes?
• Should I speak with a dietitian about changing what I eat?

How Many People Have Prediabetes

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that about one in four U.S. adults aged 20 years or olderor 57 million peoplehave prediabetes.

Without patients and their doctors taking action, prediabetes is likely to become type 2 diabetes in 10 years or less. People with prediabetes should know that the longterm damage to their bodyespecially to the heart, kidneys and blood vessels may already be happening.

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Prediabetes Causes And Risk Factors

Youâre more likely to get prediabetes if you:

• Are older, especially over age 45
• Have a waist larger than 40 inches around if youâre a man and 35 inches around if youâre a woman.
• Eat a lot of red and processed meat, drink sugary beverages, and donât eat much fruit, veggies, nuts, whole grains, or olive oil
• Are Black, Native American, Latino, or Pacific Islander
• Are overweight or obese, especially if you have extra pounds around your middle
• Have a sleep problem, like sleep apnea, or work changing shifts or night shifts

Get tested for prediabetes if those things apply to you and if you:

• Have had an unusual blood sugar reading
• Show signs of insulin resistance, which means your body makes insulin but doesn’t respond to it the way it should. These include darkened areas of skin, trouble concentrating, and more fatigue or hunger than usual.

What It Means And What You Can Do

There are no clear symptoms of prediabetes so you may have it and not know it. But before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have prediabeteswhere blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. It is possible that you may have some of the symptoms of diabetes or even some of the complications. If you think you may have diabetes or prediabetes, check with your doctor and get tested.

If you discover that you do have prediabetes, remember that it doesnt mean youll develop type 2, particularly if you follow a treatment plan and make changes to your lifestyle through food choices and physical activity. Even small changes can have a huge impact on delaying or preventing diabetes all together. Work with a health care professional to make a plan that works for your lifestyle, or look for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognized lifestyle change program, guided by a lifestyle coach trained to use a CDC-approved curriculum, where you will meet other people who are working to prevent diabetes.

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You Cant Go Wrong With Eating Healthy And Being Active No Matter What Age Youre Diagnosed With Prediabetes

Whereas it is very likely that having prediabetes as an older adult does not have the same implications as it does in younger adults, following general lifestyle recommendations to eat healthy and engage in regular physical activity seems prudent when possible. In fact, healthy lifestyle changes were very successful in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes in people 65 and older in the DPP. Having a healthy lifestyle as an older adult provides many additional health benefits to the body and mind.

It is important to acknowledge that not all older adults are able to follow these recommendations, due to the presence of multiple acute and chronic medical issues that affect their eating habits and limit their physical activity, and managing these conditions may be more important than a slight elevation in their blood sugar levels. In the end, it is important to discuss the implications of being diagnosed with prediabetes with your health care providers, and to individualize your treatment.

What To Do If You Think You May Be At Risk

If you think you might be at risk of pre-diabetes, its important to talk to your doctor about it at your next visit.

If you are diagnosed with pre-diabetes it is likely that you will develop type 2 diabetes within five to 10 years. Research has shown you can reduce that risk by making lifestyle changes that include regular physical activity and healthy eating.

For more information, talk to your GP or call the NDSS Helpline on 1300 136 588.

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Is There A Prediabetes Diet

Thereâs no official diet, but four swaps can reverse prediabetes and lower your chances of getting type 2 diabetes:

• Choose whole grains and whole-grain products over processed carbs like white bread, potatoes, and breakfast cereals.
• Drink coffee, water, and tea instead of sugary drinks.
• Choose good fats like those in vegetable oil, nuts, and seeds over those in margarine, baked goods, and fried foods.
• Trade red meat and processed meats for nuts, whole grains, poultry, and fish.

How Is Prediabetes Treated

The best way to treat diabetes is through healthy lifestyle changes. Eating a nutritious diet and getting regular exercise can help prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes.

Even small changes can significantly lower your risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends:

• Weight loss: Losing 5% to 7% of your body weight can have an impact. For example, a 200-pound person who loses 10 to 14 pounds could see a significant health improvement.
• Regular activity: Aim for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, for a total of 150 minutes a week. Try walking or another activity you enjoy.

Lowering your risk factors for prediabetes can often get your blood sugar levels back to healthy levels. You might:

• Work with a nutritionist or dietitian to plan a healthful diet you can stick with long-term.
• Find ways to reduce or manage stress.
• Diagnose and treat sleep disorders.
• Manage related disorders, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
• Find support groups where you can meet other people going through the same challenges.

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What Exactly Is Prediabetes And How Common Is It

A person with prediabetes has a blood sugar level higher than normal but not high enough to meet the criteria for diabetes. But what constitutes normal is open to debate.

The American Diabetes Association, the World Health Organization and a joint body called the International Expert Committee, made up of members from three diabetes organizations, have developed five definitions of prediabetes. The various definitions reflect three different ways of testing blood sugar levels and different cutoffs for diagnosis.

That means that a person could have normal blood sugar under the WHO definition but be diagnosed with prediabetes under the American Diabetes Association definition. The various tests identify different people and have only moderate overlap, meaning that some people will be classified as having prediabetes by one definition but not by another, Selvin and her colleague wrote.

The prevalence of prediabetes depends on which definition is used. The WHO and the International Expert Committee use more stringent definitions, which highlight those who are most likely to progress to diabetes. The American Diabetes Association uses lower thresholds, so it identifies a larger number of patients. Some diabetes experts have been railing against the ADAs definition of prediabetes for many years, saying it diagnoses far too many people who may not need treatment.

What Kind Of Doctor Treats Prediabetes

Prediabetes is typically diagnosed and managed by your primary care practitioner, including internists and family medicine specialists, or pediatricians in the case of children or adolescents. Other specialists who may be consulted include physicians who specialize in endocrine glands and hormones including diabetes management . A nutritionist can be consulted to help you review your diet and suggest dietary and lifestyle changes. A personal trainer can be helpful if you are having a hard time putting together an exercise plan for yourself. There are a lot of self-care resources too. Eating healthier, exercising, and losing weight are ways to improve your health, and are key to prediabetes treatment.

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Physical Activity And Borderline Diabetes

Along with losing weight, getting physically active is one of the most effective things you can do to reverse insulin resistance. The general goal is to get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity. This can be in any combination, such as 30 minutes, 5 days a week, or 10 minutes, 3 times a day, 5 days a week.

Almost any activity that gets your heart pumping faster and makes you breathe hard counts. This includes:

• Brisk walking

What Causes Prediabetes

Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas that acts like a key to let blood sugar into cells for use as energy. If you have prediabetes, the cells in your body dont respond normally to insulin. Your pancreas makes more insulin to try to get cells to respond. Eventually your pancreas cant keep up, and your blood sugar rises, setting the stage for prediabetesand type 2 diabetes down the road.

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Open Sores And Wounds

Having high blood sugar for a long time can lead to poor circulation and nerve damage. You may have developed these if youve had uncontrolled diabetes for a long time.

Poor circulation and nerve damage can make it hard for your body to heal wounds. This is especially true on the feet. These open wounds are called diabetic ulcers.

Diabetes and feet

• Get immediate medical care for an open sore or wound.
• Work with your doctor to better control your diabetes.