How Prediabetes Is Different From Diabetes
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What You Need To Know & Do About Pre Diabetes
What You Need To Know About Pre Diabetes
- Your blood sugar is too igh, but not yet high enough to cal diabetes..
- You will not have symptoms, so you need to be tested..
What You Need To Do About Pre Diabetes
- Losing weight (10% of your current body weight) is the best treatment.
- Your doctor may prescribe medication.
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If you have prediabetes you are not alone. More than 41 million American also have prediabetes. In prediabetes your blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. In prediabetes, your body does not respond to insulin as it should. With prediabetes you are at an increased risk for developing diabetes in the next 10 years. Your doctor may also refer to prediabetes as impaired fasting glucose., or impaired glucose tolerance
How Is Prediabetes Diagnosed?
Basically, your blood sugar is higher than normal, but not yet elevated enough to make a diagnosis of diabetes.
A normal fasting blood glucose is 100 mg/dl. In prediabetes your blood sugar is between 100 and 125 mg/dl. Once your blood glucose is 126 mg/dl or above, you have a diagnosis of diabetes. Alternatively, your doctor may perform an oral dose tolerance test to diagnose prediabetes. Most people with prediabetes do not have symptoms of diabetes. Some patients with prediabetes have patches of dark skin on the back of the neck called acanthosis nigricans.
Should I Be Tested For Prediabetes?
You should be tested for prediabetes if you:
- Are obese or overweight
- Have a sedentary lifestyle
- Have high blood pressure
- Increased cholesterol
- Have a close family member with diabetes
- Have a history of gestational diabetes
- Are in an ethnic group (African American, Hispanic, American Indian) with an increased risk for diabetes
Why Is Making a Diagnosis of Prediabetes Important?
Because you are at an increased risk for developing diabetes in the future, it is important to know if you have prediabetes. Even in prediabetes you have an increased risk of developing heart disease compare to someone without prediabetes.
What Is the Treatment For Prediabetes?
You can do something about prediabetes. Just because you have prediabetes does not mean you will automatically develop diabetes. Improving your lifestyle will decrease your risk and improve how your body uses insulin to lower your blood sugar. It is recommended that you:
- Lose 5-10% of your body weight
- Be physically active for 30 or more minutes most days of the week
- Quit smoking
- Get more Fiber
- Decrease fast food
- Eat more fruits and vegetables
Your doctor also may start you on a treatment such as metformin.
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[…] eat differently,” and “am I going to have to start taking medications?” While I discuss the answers to many of these particular questions in a previous post, I am always struck, in this day of the news coverage of obesity and the diabetes epidemic, how […]
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