Prediabetes: Catch it, Stop it

If your healthcare provider says you have prediabetes, pay attention. It’s a wake-up call. Receive it as news you can use to become a healthier you. The good news is prediabetes can be reversed.

Research from the National Diabetes Prevention Program found in 58% of cases, diabetes could be prevented or delayed with a modest weight loss of 5-7% and 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. For people over 60 years old, the rate was 71%. For more information:

A blood test performed after fasting can detect prediabetes. Prediabetes, often known as impaired fasting glucose, is defined as a fasting blood glucose (sugar) level between 100 and 125 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter). Diabetes is defined as having a fasting blood glucose level of 126 mg/dL. The average amount of glucose that has been bound to hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells, over the course of two to three months is measured by another test called a glycated hemoglobin (A1c) test. Prediabetes is defined as a range of 5.7% to 6.4%, and diabetes is defined as a range of 6.5% and higher.

One in three Americans, or 84 million people, are estimated to have prediabetes by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but 90% of them are unaware of it. Prediabetes gradually develops with no immediately noticeable signs until

There are risk factors.

• Being overweight
• Being 45 years or older
• Having a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
• Being physically active less than 3 times a week
• Ever having gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or giving birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds

If you find yourself at risk for diabetes, ask yourself how important is it to prevent diabetes? Is this something you should do or want to do? Wanting to do something is more powerful than telling yourself you should do it.

What about your commitment to change lifestyle habits? On a scale of one to ten (ten being the most) how much of a priority is changing your lifestyle? Where realistically is your commitment when using the same scale?  If there is a big difference, reflect on what is keeping you from making your health a priority.

Prevention is about lifestyle strategies and commitment.

• Exercise after a meal to use circulating blood glucose to fuel muscle cells that need glucose for fuel.
• Increase the number of fruits, vegetables and whole grains into your diet. The healthy foods will slowly squeeze out the unhealthy foods.
• Measure your waist. Waist circumference is a big clue for diabetes risk. A waist measure for men should be less than 40 inches and for women less than 35 inches.
• Work on getting enough sleep. If sleep is a problem, talk to your doctor. Not getting enough sleep causes stress, over eating and inflammation.
• Be patient with yourself. Change is often slow, but worth it.
• Stop smoking if you don’t do anything else.
• The CDC has partnered with the YMCA, hospitals, and healthcare providers to offer Diabetes Prevention Programs across the nation. Click here to discover a reputable DPP in your area. In order to encourage weight loss through a balanced diet, regular exercise, stress management, and resolving issues that get in the way of personal goals, the DDP replicates the diabetes prevention study with a one-year program. After the initial six months of the program's 16 core sessions, there are further six months of helpful follow-up sessions. You can be eligible for DPP coverage if you have Medicare Part B coverage and satisfy certain requirements.