What Is Prediabetes

1. What Is Prediabetes? When the blood sugar level is higher than it should be is known as Prediabetes. It is also known as pre-hyperglycemia or impaired glucose tolerance. This Prediabetes treatment can prevent more severe health issues, including type 2 Diabetes and problems related to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, and kidneys. Symptoms of Prediabetes Prediabetes usually doesn’t have any signs or symptoms. One of the possible signs of prediabetes is darkened skin on certain parts of the body. It can affect areas like the neck, armpits and groin. These symptoms tell you’ve moved from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes. This includes Increased thirst Frequent urination Increased hunger Fatigue Blurred vision

2. Numbness or tingling in the feet or hands Frequent infections Slow-healing sores Unintended weight loss What Causes Prediabetes Still, the clear reason for prediabetes is unknown. Yet, family ancestry and genetic qualities seem to play a significant part. What is clear is that people with prediabetes don’t process sugar (glucose) appropriately any longer. Most of the glucose comes from the food we eat in our bodies. Sugar enters your bloodstream when the food is digested, and insulin allows sugar to enter your cells and lowers the sugar in your blood. Insulin is produced by a gland located behind the stomach called the pancreas. Your pancreas sends insulin to your blood when you eat. When your blood sugar level drops, the pancreas slows down insulin secretion into the blood. What Are the Risk Factors for Prediabetes? Now lets see what are the Risk Factors for Prediabetes The risk of starting prediabetes increases when you have any of these following as listed below Unhealthy Diet High Diets in sugar and processed foods raise your blood pressure and increase your position of LDL Excess Weight Still, you ’re at a high threat for getting prediabetes, If you ’re medically fat. This is especially true if you carry a lot of excess weight in your tummy, which is known as visceral fat and can play a part in insulin resistance. Sedentary Lifestyle

3. Being really inactive contributes to insulin resistance and weight gain, both of which can also lead to prediabetes. Aim to move around at least 30 minutes per day, indeed if it’s just to go on a walk. Family History of Type 2 Diabetes Prediabetes has a hereditary factor. If someone in your immediate family has T2 Diabetes or has T2 Diabetes in the past you are more likely to develop prediabetes and type 2 diabetes yourself. Your race and ethnicity also affect your likelihood of developing prediabetes. There is a genetic component, but research has shown that racial disparities in who develops diabetes have more to do with socio-economic status and the accessibility of health care and healthy food in your community than your genes. History of Gestational Diabetes Diabetes during pregnancy can signal a higher risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes later on Smoking. The nicotine in cigarettes decreases the sensitivity of your cells to insulin, which raises the glucose in your blood. Other chemicals in cigarettes cause inflammation and make it harder for those cells to absorb insulin. Advanced Age The older you are, the more at risk you become. At age 45, your likelihood of developing prediabetes starts to rise. By retirement age, almost 25% of seniors over 65 have prediabetes. Will prediabetes always lead to diabetes? Not everyone with prediabetes will go on to develop diabetes. Over the short term (three to five years), about 25% of people with prediabetes develop full-blown diabetes. The percentage is significantly larger over the long term. What percent of pre diabetics become diabetic? Around 5–10% of people with prediabetes become diabetic annually although conversion rate varies by population characteristics and the definition of prediabetes. Tests for Identifying Prediabetes

4. There are three recommended blood testing methods 1) A1C, 2) fasting plasma glucose, 3)2-hour post 75 g oral glucose challenge. How Do Doctors Diagnose Prediabetes? Diabetes is a measure of levels of sugar in your bloodstream. Physicians check this in two different ways: 1. A standard blood glucose test This requires you to fast before a blood test, so your PCP or endocrinologist can check the level of glucose in your bloodstream at any given time. Ideally, fasting glucose levels should be 99 mg/dL or lower. If your fasting blood glucose levels are between 100 and 125mg/dL, it could be considered prediabetes, says Martha McKittrick RD. “I like to have people get a second test done, to make sure it’s accurate,” she says. A reading higher than 126 mg/dL indicates diabetes. 2. An A1C blood test The test for A1C, or hbA1c, is a non-fasting blood test that measures the average amount of glucose in your bloodstream over a period of three months and is measured in percentages. A healthy percentage is under 5.7%. A result between 5.7 and 6.4% suggests prediabetes. Anything higher than 6.5% indicates diabetes. A person who is prediabetic may not always show symptoms. In fact, the majority don’t. Oftentimes, an asymptomatic person will only get a prediabetes diagnosis if their general physician gives them a blood glucose test or checks their hbA1C readings and finds an atypical result. For this reason, one of the most important things you can do is get a physical exam with blood work once every year.

5. “Your blood work can tell you if your glucose levels are too high, and whether or not you’re heading in the right direction as far as controlling them before you develop type 2 diabetes,” Antonucci says. Although most people don’t show noticeable symptoms of prediabetes, if you are experiencing fatigue, excessive hunger, excessive thirst, and frequent urination, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Make an appointment to get your glucose levels checked ASAP. Source By : https://cashnowforteststrips.com/2022/08/19/what-is-prediabetes/