About 86 million people in the United States have prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. This health condition puts you at risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. But it can be prevented with healthy lifestyle changes, such as losing weight and getting regular physical activity. Read on to learn everything about this condition.
Prediabetes can usually be reversed with healthy lifestyle changes
What are Prediabetes?
Prediabetes is when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. Prediabetes puts you at a much greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, which can cause serious health problems over time.
A simple blood test can detect prediabetes. If your blood sugar level is higher than it should be, you may need to make some lifestyle changes to prevent the disease from progressing to full-blown diabetes.
Symptoms of Prediabetes
The most common symptoms of prediabetes include frequent urination, thirst, and weight loss. Blurry vision is another common symptom and can lead to complications like diabetic retinopathy, which can be very dangerous for your health. Changing your diet and getting regular exercise can help lower your risk of developing prediabetes and diabetes. You should try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, such as walking, and perform muscle-strengthening activities on most days of the week. These changes can reduce your risk of progression from prediabetes to diabetes by more than 58%.
Risk Factors
A few things increase your risk of developing prediabetes:
- Having a parent or sibling with Type 2 diabetes
- Having gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)
- Having polycystic ovary syndrome
Being overweight also increases your risk, especially if you have a large waistline; are physically active less than three times per week; and have certain conditions, such as sleep disorders, high blood pressure, or cholesterol levels.
Health Implications of Prediabetes
Prediabetes is a crucial health concern because it signals that your body isn't using insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone key to letting blood sugar into cells for energy. When you have prediabetes, your body becomes resistant to insulin, and blood sugar levels rise.
Over time, this sets the stage for type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems like heart disease, vision loss, nerve damage, and kidney disease. Many people with prediabetes don't know they have it because the symptoms aren't usually noticeable.
Researchers don't know exactly what causes insulin resistance or prediabetes, but they think excess weight and lack of physical activity are significant factors. The risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes increases with age. People with a family history of diabetes also are at higher risk. People with metabolic syndrome, a combination of high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and large waist sizes, are particularly susceptible to insulin resistance.
Lifestyle Modifications for Prediabetes
Prediabetes is a precursor to type 2 diabetes, which can cause serious health complications such as heart disease, stroke, and blindness. Fortunately, prediabetes is treatable with a combination of diet and exercise.
Diet is crucial in reversing prediabetes, and it's essential to cut out sugary beverages like juice, sweet tea, soda, and energy drinks. Foods with "empty calories" should also be avoided, including most desserts, candy, and cookies.
In addition to cutting out sugar, patients should increase their intake of complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, whole grains, and beans. These foods are digested more slowly than simple carbohydrates and help stabilize blood sugar.
Exercise is also essential to reversing prediabetes, especially moderate-intensity activities such as walking. This exercise burns calories and razes fats, critical factors for reversing prediabetes.
Dietary Strategies
The development of prediabetes is largely preventable, and the risk of progression to type 2 diabetes can be significantly reduced through nutritional interventions. Dietary change has been identified as the 'gold standard' for preventing T2DM and is effective in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) [1].
The DPP showed that simple lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing T2DM, such as dietary change and increased physical activity. These modifications can also help to reduce a person's risk of cardiovascular disease and other health conditions.
DPP-related nutrition research has focused mainly on using low-calorie diets, a low-glycemic index (GI) diet or specific foods, and combinations of these approaches. However, various other factors may influence a person's response to these interventions, such as age, body weight, or genetic and ethnic background.
A prediabetes diet should focus on whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats, and fiber. Vegetables should be varied and include all colors, especially those rich in a compound called nitrate, which can help to lower blood pressure and improve circulatory health. Avoid sugared soda, pastries, and highly processed foods such as cakes, cookies, chips, and candy.
Behavioral Changes and Support
Initiating and maintaining lifestyle changes can be challenging, especially for people with prediabetes who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A new qualitative meta-synthesis identified facilitators and barriers to change among people with prediabetes. These findings might help health professionals better understand how to support these individuals in achieving healthy behaviors and reducing their risk of diabetes-related complications.
This meta-synthesis showed that people with prediabetes were motivated to make healthy lifestyle changes after an awareness or a perceived need for change, such as something that happened to them or their family members, or after learning about the risks of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. People with prediabetes were also aware that healthy behaviors could be facilitated by self-efficacy and supportive relations, as well as by external environments.
The new meta-synthesis suggested that wellness coaching is a promising method for supporting health behaviors in people with prediabetes. Wellness coaches enhance motivation and guide patients through healthy behaviors such as increased physical activity and improved diet. The study also found that using eHealth technology can be a practical approach to lifestyle modification. This approach combines online platforms and digital support to help individuals track their blood sugar levels, physical activities, weight, diet, and stress.
The Bottom Line
If left untreated, prediabetes can lead to type 2 diabetes, when the body can't produce enough insulin or use it properly. This can cause serious health complications over time, such as heart disease, kidney problems, and nerve damage. Fortunately, prediabetes can usually be reversed with healthy lifestyle changes.
These include losing weight, eating well, and getting regular physical activity. In addition, some people with prediabetes may need medications to help lower blood sugar levels. The most common medication is metformin, which helps to decrease blood sugar levels and improves cholesterol levels. Other medications that may be used to treat prediabetes include biguanides, thiazolidinediones (such as pioglitazone and rosiglitazone), and oE+-glucosidase inhibitors.
Research shows that making healthy choices can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes for most people with prediabetes. For most people, this means focusing on weight loss, eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting plenty of sleep. It can also be helpful to participate in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Recognized Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), such as the Lark DPP, where you get personalized coaching through your smartphone.
