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Prediabetes
Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes.
Prediabetes shouldn't be taken lightly. It means that you're at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
An estimated 41 million
Prediabetes doesn't have to become type 2 diabetes. With healthy lifestyle changes, you can bring your blood sugar back to normal levels.
Signs and symptoms
Often, prediabetes has no signs or symptoms. But it's important to watch for the classic red flags of type 2 diabetes excessive thirst and frequent urination.
Other signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes may include:
Constant hunger
Unexplained weight loss
Weight gain
Flu-like symptoms, including weakness and fatigue
Blurred vision
Slow healing of cuts or bruises
Tingling or loss of feeling in hands or feet
Recurring gum or skin infections
Recurring vaginal or bladder infections
Causes
To understand prediabetes, first you have to understand how sugar (glucose) is normally processed in your body.
Glucose is vital to your health because it's a main source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. Glucose comes from two major sources: the food you eat and your liver. During digestion, glucose is absorbed into your bloodstream. Normally, glucose then enters your body's cells with the help of insulin.
The hormone insulin comes from your pancreas. When you eat, your pancreas secretes insulin into your bloodstream. As insulin circulates, it acts like a key, unlocking microscopic doors that allow glucose to enter your cells. Insulin lowers the amount of sugar in your bloodstream and prevents it from reaching high levels. As your blood sugar level drops, so does the secretion of insulin from your pancreas.
Your liver acts as a glucose storage and manufacturing center. When your insulin levels are low when you haven't eaten in a while, for example your liver releases the stored glucose into your bloodstream to keep your glucose level within a normal range.
If you have prediabetes, this process is beginning to work improperly. Instead of being transported into your cells, a small amount of glucose builds up in your bloodstream. This occurs when your cells become resistant to the action of insulin. Exactly why the cells become resistant to insulin's effects is uncertain, although excess weight and fatty tissue seem to be important factors. Most people with prediabetes are overweight or obese and get little, if any exercise.
Risk factors
The same factors that increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increase the risk of developing prediabetes, including:
Weight. Being overweight or obese is one of the most common risk factors for prediabetes. The more fatty tissue you have, the more resistant your muscle and tissue cells become to your own insulin. This is especially true if your excess weight is concentrated around your abdomen and your body is an apple shape rather than a pear shape, where the weight is mostly on the hips and thighs.
Inactivity. The less active you are, the greater your risk of prediabetes. Physical activity helps control your weight, uses up glucose as energy, and makes your cells more sensitive to insulin. Exercise also helps build muscle mass. That's important because most of the glucose in your blood is absorbed by your muscles and burns as energy.
Family history. Your chance of developing prediabetes increases if you have a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes.
Age. The risk of prediabetes increases as you grow older, especially after age 45. Part of the reason is that as people grow older, they tend to become less physically active, lose muscle mass and gain weight. But diabetes is also increasing dramatically among children, adolescents and younger adults.
Race. Although it's unclear why, people of certain races are more likely to develop diabetes than others. More than 6 percent of the general population has diagnosed diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. But that rate doubles for blacks and Hispanics and more than doubles for American Indians. Among the Pima Indians of Arizona, half of all adults have type 2 diabetes ¡ª one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world.
Gestational diabetes. If you developed gestational diabetes when you were pregnant, your risk of type 2 diabetes is greater. If you gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds, you're also at risk of type 2 diabetes.
Depression. Depression seems to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, possibly because people with depression often gain weight and are inactive.
Screening and diagnosis. Many people find out they have prediabetes through blood tests done for another condition or as part of a routine exam. The American Diabetes Association recommends blood glucose screening for everyone at age 45. If you're overweight with one or more additional risk factors for type 2 diabetes, ask your doctor about earlier testing.
Two blood tests can be used to determine whether you have prediabetes.
Fasting blood glucose test. The amount of sugar in your bloodstream naturally fluctuates within a narrow range. Your blood sugar level is typically highest after a meal and lowest after an overnight fast. The preferred way to test your blood sugar is after you've fasted overnight or for at least eight hours. Blood is drawn from a vein and sent to a lab for evaluation.
A fasting blood sugar level under 100 milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood (mg/dL) is considered normal. If your blood sugar level is 100 to 125mg/dL, you have prediabetes also called impaired fasting glucose (IFG).
Oral glucose tolerance test. An oral glucose tolerance test requires that you visit a lab or your doctor's office after at least an eight-hour fast. There you will drink about 8 ounces of a sugary liquid. Your blood sugar level is measured before you drink the liquid, then after one hour and again after two hours. If your blood sugar reaches 140 to 199 mg/dL after two hours, you have impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) another prediabetes condition.
Prevention
Healthy lifestyle choices can help you prevent prediabetes and its progression to type 2 diabetes. Even if diabetes runs in your family, diet and exercise can help you prevent the disease.
Eat healthy foods. Choose foods low in fat and calories. Focus on fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Strive for variety to help you achieve your goals without compromising taste or nutrition.
Get more physical activity. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day. Take a brisk daily walk. Ride your bike. Swim laps. If you can't fit in a long workout, break it up into smaller sessions spread throughout the day.
Lose excess pounds. If you're overweight, the American Diabetes Association says that losing just 5 percent of your body weight can improve blood sugar control and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. To keep your weight in a healthy range, focus on permanent changes to your eating and exercise habits. Motivate yourself by remembering the benefits of losing weight, such as a healthier heart, more energy and improved self-esteem.
Sometimes medication is an option as well. Oral diabetes drugs such as Diabetes Pills may reduce the risk of type 1 and type 2 diabetes but healthy lifestyle choices remain essential.
(By the way, Diabetes pills is promoting the production of body fluid to relieve thirst, nourishing Yin and the kidney, restoring the function of the pancreas step by step, and it also can prevent the diabetes.
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Ask and Question:
Body shape: Does it increase your risk of diabetes?
Q:I know that obesity is a risk factor for diabetes. But I've been told that body shape also plays a role. Is this true?
A:Yes, it's true. People who carry most of their excess weight around their waist (often called "apples") are at greater risk of diabetes than are those who carry most of their excess weight below their waist (often called "pears").
The more fatty tissue you have, the more resistant your body's cells become to the effects of your own insulin. But this appears especially true if your weight is concentrated around your abdomen.
To determine whether you're carrying too much weight around your abdomen, measure the circumference of your waist at its smallest point, usually at the level of your navel. Using a flexible, cloth-like tape measure is best. A measurement of more than 40 inches in men and more than 35 inches in women indicates increased health risks.
The good news is that you can lower your risk of diabetes by achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.
Alcohol and smoking: Risk factors for diabetes?
Q:Do alcoholism and smoking increase the risk of diabetes?
A:Yes, both heavy alcohol use and smoking can increase the risk of diabetes.
Alcoholism
The pancreas releases the hormone insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar (glucose). Heavy alcohol use can cause chronic inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). This can lead to permanent damage to the pancreas and impair its ability to secrete insulin, which can result in diabetes.
Smoking
Smoking not only increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, but can also increase blood sugar levels and reduce your body's ability to use insulin. In addition, the chemicals in tobacco can damage blood vessels, muscles and organs. This may also increase your risk of diabetes. Pregnant women who smoke have an increased risk of diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes).
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