If you have been diagnosed with prediabetes, it is normal to feel worried or confused. Know that you are not alone. More than a third of Americans will develop prediabetes in their lifetimes, and unfortunately, many do not find out before the condition has progressed into type 2 diabetes. Thankfully, there are many steps you can take to lower your risk of type 2 diabetes and even reverse your prediabetes symptoms.
What Is Prediabetes?
As the name suggests, prediabetes is a precursor to type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes. This means that while you don’t have the biomarkers that indicate diabetes, like elevated blood sugar, your results are higher than what is considered healthy.
People with prediabetes may have some symptoms that mirror those of diabetes, such as excessive thirst and fatigue. However, the majority of people do not show outward symptoms. Instead, most of the condition’s effects impact your metabolism and how your body processes insulin.
Insulin is a naturally-occurring hormone that is secreted by the pancreas. Normally, insulin regulates how glucose, a simple carbohydrate, enters your bloodstream. Cells use glucose as an energy source, but require insulin to aid absorption. Thus, insulin plays a key role in keeping your blood sugar stable.
When people are prediabetic, their body is having a more difficult time managing glucose levels. Your cells may reduce the amount of glucose they absorb, which forces your pancreas to pump out more insulin. Eventually, your pancreas will not be able to produce enough insulin to keep glucose levels in check. This condition, known as insulin resistance, is a common indicator of prediabetes.
Too much glucose in your system will cause your blood sugar to spike. Over time, high blood sugar can damage your blood vessels and put you at risk of cardiovascular conditions like stroke or heart disease.
The body may also start to consume fat and muscle cells for energy as glucose is no longer accessible. This can cause serious side effects, including unexplained weight loss or blurry vision. Without treatment, prediabetes normally progresses into diabetes within five years. Unlike prediabetes, diabetes is a chronic and incurable condition.
Warning Signs
Diabetes is one of the most preventable causes of chronic illness and premature death. For this reason, medical professionals recommend people with higher risks of developing diabetes to monitor themselves for prediabetic symptoms.
Some common risk factors include a poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, and smoking. People with a family history of diabetes or past experience with gestational diabetes have an elevated risk of developing the condition in the future.
Age, race, and physical build play a role as well. While children and youth can develop prediabetes, the condition is more common in people over 45 years old. People from marginalized backgrounds are also more likely to develop diabetes. Research believes this is due to socioeconomic factors that prevent some people from accessing preventative and timely care. However, diabetes risk may also have a genetic component.
Weight and body mass index (BMI) can also be risk factors for prediabetes, but the reasons for this are complex. Scientists have found that being overweight in itself is not an indicator of diabetic risk. Instead, the prevalence of certain types of fat cells is a better measurement for predicting a later diabetes diagnosis. This new research suggests that even individuals who appear to be at a normal weight can also be predisposed to prediabetes and eventually, type 2 diabetes.
Diagnostics and Testing
As prediabetes is symptomless and most people have several risk factors, most people can benefit from routine screenings.
Prediabetes is usually diagnosed through one of three blood tests. The hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test measures glucose levels present in your red blood cells. The fasting glucose test records your blood sugar levels after 8 hours of fasting, while the glucose challenge tests measure the amount of sugar in your system after consuming a syrup solution.
The United States Preventative Task Force advises individuals between 35 and 65 with a BMI of 25 or higher to undergo prediabetes screening at least every three years. However, anyone can monitor their blood sugar with an at-home HbA1c test.
If your results are above normal but fall under the threshold for diabetes, you will be diagnosed with prediabetes and provided with a treatment plan. This is usually a combination of a low-sugar, high produce diet, and daily exercise.
