PreDiabetes Often Leads to Diabetes, But It Doesn’t Have To

Article by Alice Saracho

When the blood sugar levels of an individual are elevated higher than average but not elevated high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes, the condition is called prediabetes. Many physicians and medical journals call this condition impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Whatever name you give it, somewhere between 35 and 54 million Americans in the United States have prediabetes with the number growing every year.

Being aware that you have prediabetes or IFG is important because if you have it, your odds of eventually getting diabetes are increased. As a matter of fact, prediabetes is usually a pre-cursor to diabetes because a person almost always contracts prediabetes before she gets diabetes. Additionally, a pman or woman with prediabetes is at increased risk of eventually coming down with heart disease and strokes. The good news, however, is that if you have prediabetes and you start to change your life style and eating habits along with doing more exercise, you have an excellent chance of staving off diabetes.

Prediabetes means that the cells in your body are slowly becoming insulin resistant. The body needs insulin to convert sugar, starches, and other foods into glucose that the body can use. But without insulin, the body is unable to process the sugar. The sugar has nowhere to go and accumulates in the bloodstream resulting in high blood sugar levels. If the blood sugar level is constantly elevated, odds are that diabetes is present.

Most people that have prediabetes are not aware of it. It is a condition that has to be tested for because it has no symptoms. The test simply involves measuring the percentage of sugar in your bloodstream. The blood sugar level is tested both before and after eating. A person with normal levels of blood sugar will show results of less than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). A 100-126 mg/dl level of glucose before eating and a 140-199 mg/dl level of glucose after eating, is an indication of prediabetes.

Statistically, certain nationalities such as African American, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Inuit, and Native Americans, are at higher risk of being diagnosed with diabetes than others. Weight is another risk factor. If you are overweight, you have an increased risk of prediabetes. Other risk factors are family history, high blood pressure, and high levels of triglycerides. Older people are also more likely to develop the disease. If you are near or over the age of 50, you should request that your doctor or health care specialist give you a blood glucose level test. Testing allows those at risk to be identified early enough for something to be done before its too late.

Approximately one out of every four people with prediabetes progresses to diabetes within three to five years. Many of the rest advance to diabetes within ten years. And yet, it’s not inevitable that prediabetes will lead to diabetes. But early intervention is critical to prevent prediabetes from escalating to full blown diabetes. Many times simple life style changes such as losing weight, eating less processed foods, eating more high glycemic foods, and starting a minimal exercise program are all that is needed to stop the disease from progressing.