Prediabetes? What is it? What lifestyle changes should you make?

My daughter has a friend who was diagnosed with prediabetes.  And this is becoming increasingly more common.  What is prediabetes?  How many people have it?  If you have prediabetes, what lifestyle changes should you make?  Focusing on exercise and diet are two important areas to focus on. 

What is prediabetes?

• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says prediabetes is a “serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes”. 

• To determine if you have diabetes your health care provider will take a blood test:

o   A1C Test – this test measures how much sugar is in your blood over the past 2-3 months. 

o   Fasting blood sugar – This test measures how much sugar is in your blood after you have fasted overnight. 

• Your health care provider may also do a Glucose Tolerance Test or a random blood sugar test. 

Know your numbers.  What blood sugar levels are normal and what levels diagnose prediabetes and diabetes?  

Diagnosis	Fasting Blood Sugar Test	A1C Test
Normal	70-99 mg/dl	< 5.7%
Prediabetes	100-125 mg/dl	5.7-6.4%
Diabetes	>= 126 mg/dl	>= 6.5%

 

You really want to know your A1C levels.  My husband had his blood sugar checked.  His Fasting Blood Sugar was 105 mg/dl which indicated prediabetes.  BUT, his A1C level was 5.4% which is NORMAL. 

How many people have prediabetes? 

• According to the CDC, about 96 million Americans have prediabetes, about 1 in 3 Americans.  That is a lot of people.  And many, about 80%, are not even aware they have prediabetes. 
• For older Americans, those 65 and over, CDC notes about half have prediabetes. 
• The good news is, CDC notes you can make lifestyle changes that can delay or even prevent you from ever getting Type 2 diabetes.  

What are some lifestyle changes you can make if you are diagnosed with prediabetes?   Three main lifestyle changes for prediabetes are:

• Increase physical activity
• Lose weight if overweight
• Adopt a healthier diet 

CDC offers a whole program on lifestyle called the National Diabetes Prevention Program.

Lose weight if overweight:  Most, 89.8%, of those with prediabetes are overweight or obese.  CDC notes if a 200-pound person lost just 10-14 pounds they could help prevent Type 2 diabetes.

Increase Physical Activity:  Exercise is so important to controlling prediabetes.  Surprisingly, CDC found 34.3 % or one third of people with prediabetes are very sedentary, “getting less than 10 minutes a week of moderate or vigorous activity”. 

•  How does exercise help control blood sugar levels?

When you exercise your body takes the sugar out of your blood and uses it as fuel.  “That is why physical activity is such a key element in controlling blood sugar.” 

• How much exercise and what exercise?   Exercise doesn’t have to be going to the gym.  Going for a walk counts.  In fact, when Spencer Nadolsky, DO, talks to his patients, he says, “I try to get them to walk”.  Why?  Because people can start to walk more right away.  CDC recommends getting at least 150 minutes of exercise like taking a brisk walk every week.  Plan on about 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days a week. 

• How much walking/exercise do you need to do?  A study in 2016, found that walking about 11 miles a week was enough to prevent going from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes.  Sounds like a lot but this means you go for a 30-minute walk 5 to 6 times a week.  A real good time to walk or exercise is after a meal as this helps burn up the sugar in your blood as your body uses it to fuel your exercise.

• What about strength training?  I lift weights at least twice a week.  I do it to keep toned but adding some muscle also helps control blood sugar levels.  How?  Your muscles use blood sugar (glucose) for energy and muscles store glucose.  More muscle means more glucose your body can store. 

What about diet?  

In addition to exercise and losing weight (if overweight) the other lifestyle change for prediabetes is diet.  I have talked to many people with prediabetes and some give up foods they may not have to.  One guy said he could no longer eat spaghetti.  Why?  He could use whole grain spaghetti noodles and enjoy some spaghetti.  Another person said they gave up rice.  Why?  Brown rice is whole grain and there are many whole grain rice mixtures you can buy that are easy to pop in the microwave.  Next week we will talk about diet and diabetes.   What diet is best for those who have prediabetes?  What questions do you have about prediabetes?  Do you know someone with prediabetes?  Share this blog post with them. 

Sources:  diagnose , people , National Diabetes Prevention Program , Exercise, Cleveland Clinic , How to choose some healthy carbs , Proteins   Image Sources: Prediabetes  , Reversing prediabetes  , 1 in 3 adults