Prediabetes, What You Need to Know
Feb-11-2012

Diabetes is something that is making headlines recently and for good reason, as high blood glucose levels can cause permanent damage to heart, eye, kidney, nerve and other tissue - all risks with type 2 diabetes.

SupermarketGuru wants to point out the condition that could lead to type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, if not controlled through diet and lifestyle changes. Prediabetes is when blood glucose (sugar) levels are consistently higher than what is considered normal, but not elevated enough to qualify as type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes can have its own health consequences.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that a staggering 79 million Americans over the age of 20 have prediabetes. According to experts, prediabetes can double the risk for cardiovascular disease. A combination of excess body fat, a sedentary lifestyle, and family history all factor into prediabetes. While family history is a risk factor, changing you diet and lifestyle can make a world of a difference in your physiology.

Accoriding to Domenica Rubino, MD (via USA Today), a diabetes expert who practices at the Washington Center for Weight Management & Research in Arlington, Va. it's important to get your glucose tested on a regular basis, and there are two simple tests: "fasting blood glucose, which offers a 'snapshot' of the glucose in your blood after going without food for about 8-9 hours, and A1C, which provides an average amount of glucose in the blood over the past three to four months." Prediabetes is typically symptom-free, but some may feel tired regularly.

Some people with prediabetes have a normal fasting glucose level. Knowing your A1C provides a more accurate picture.

Fasting blood glucose: Normal: below 100 mg/dL after an overnight fast and before eating. Prediabetic: 100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)

A1C: Normal: 5.6% or below. Prediabetic: 5.7% to 6.4%

Ask for the exact numbers from your blood test, so you can be clear just where you stand.

Visit Website

Posted by Ken at 12:00 AM - Link to this entry  |  Share this entry  |  Print