Prediabetes
Prediabetes or ‘impaired glucose tolerance’ is an asymptomatic health condition mostly present prior to the individual developing the more severe type 2 diabetes. In the United States, more than fifty million 20-plus-aged individuals have prediabetes with blood sugar levels above normal, though not elevated enough to be categorised as being diabetic.
An increasing number of doctors are discerning the significance of prediabetes diagnosis as prompt treatment could avert matters complicating. For instance, prompt diagnosis and treatment of prediabetes could avert type 2 diabetes and curb related complications like heart, blood vessel, eye and kidney diseases. Doctors have deciphered the fact that health complications related to type 2 diabetes mostly transpire prior to the medical detection of the diabetes being carried out.
Risk Factors leading to Type 2 Diabetes
- Those with a family past of type 2 diabetes.
- Women that had diabetes during pregnancy or have given birth to a child that weighs more than nine pounds.
- Women having PCOS or Polycystic Ovary syndrome.
- Belonging to a particular high-risk ethnic race like Afro-Americans, Native Americans, Latinos and Pacific Islanders, minority sets of people that are unduly affected by diabetes.
- Being overweight or obese particularly abdominal or belly fat and having BMI or body mass index more than 25.
- Those having collective problems noted in metabolic syndrome like elevated levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, bad LDL cholesterol and low levels of good HDL cholesterol, hypertension and insulin resistance.
- Sedentary or inactive lifestyles.
- Those past 45 years or elderly individuals. As aging occurs, the ability for processing sugar suitably diminishes and hence there is heightened risk of getting type 2 diabetes.
Prediabetes Symptoms:
Though prediabetes is asymptomatic, some preliminary signs might surface like unusual sense of thirst, a persistent need for urination, hazy eyesight or intense weariness or exhaustion.
Diagnosis & Tests:
- Two different kinds of blood tests are performed namely, the fasting plasma glucose or FPG test and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The FPG blood test is conducted by checking blood sugar levels subsequent to eight hours fast for determining how accurately the body metabolizes glucose. In case, the outcome is abnormal then one might be having ‘impaired fasting glucose’ that is an indicator of prediabetes.
Deciphering the FPG Test Outcome
Normal levels: Lesser than 100 mg/dL
Prediabetes levels: Between 100mg/dL – 125mg/dL
Diabetes levels: More than 126 mg/dL occurring in 2 or more tests.
- In OGTT testing, the blood sugar is checked following a fast and then re-checked two hours subsequent to consuming a beverage having high amounts of glucose. In case one has higher than normal levels of glucose 2 hours after consuming a glucose drink, then one might be having ‘impaired glucose levels’ that points to the presence of prediabetes.
Deciphering the OGTT Test Outcome
Normal levels: Lesser than 140 mg/dL
Prediabetes levels: Between 140 mg/dL to 199 mg/dL
Diabetes levels: More than 200 mg/dL
Prediabetes Treatment:
In order to aptly treat prediabetes:
- Consume heart-healthy dietetic intake and reduce excessive weight. Even a five to ten percent weight loss could translate to a major favourable difference.
- Inculcating some form of exercise for thirty minutes a day for five times during a week. The physical activity could be cut short into many short bursts of energy like three sessions of ten minutes each. Choosing a form of activity that one enjoys the most, for instance walking.
- Smoke cessation.
- Treating elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
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