If youโve recently been diagnosed with prediabetes, the first thing to know is youโre not alone.
Why prediabetes is a wake-up call to turn your life around
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 3 Americans are currently prediabetic with higher-than-normal blood sugar levels that, if left unchecked, can progress into Type 2 diabetes. Thatโs more than 98 million adults! Even more eye-opening is the fact that 80% of those with prediabetes donโt even know they have it.
There is good news, though. With the right nutrition and lifestyle changes, prediabetes can be reversible. Instead of panicking about it, why not let your diagnosis serve as a valuable wake-up call to get, and stay, healthy?
What is prediabetes?
Literally speaking, prediabetes is the condition that precedes Type 2 diabetes. In both situations, the pancreas is unable to keep up with the bodyโs demand for insulin production, creating a dangerous rise in blood sugar that over time can lead to kidney disease, heart attacks, strokes, vision problems and other serious health issues.
Because indications of prediabetes may be ambiguous and mimic symptoms of many other conditions, it can go undetected. For instance, you may find yourself feeling extremely hungry or thirsty much of the time, urinating more frequently than usual, or experiencing numbness or tingling in your hands and feet.
Factors that can increase your risk of prediabetes include carrying excess weight, being age 45 or older, having first-degree family members (parents, brothers or sisters) with Type 2 diabetes, a mostly sedentary lifestyle and a previous gestational diabetes diagnosis during a pregnancy. African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and several other demographic groups may also find themselves at elevated risk of developing prediabetes.
Prediabetes can be diagnosed at your doctorโs office through a simple blood test to measure your blood sugar level.
Making healthy changes
If you find out you have prediabetes, take the diagnosis seriously. Itโs much easier to get the condition under control now than waiting until it turns into full-fledged Type 2 diabetes or something more serious. Here are some helpful recommendations to consider.
- Achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese doesnโt just play into the development of prediabetes, it also negatively impacts almost every system in your body, from your cardiovascular health and respiration to your circulation and even mental health.
- Follow a healthy eating plan as much as possible. And if you can work more fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and plant-based foods into your daily meals and snacks, all the better. Also, try to avoid โ or at least limit โ foods high in added sugars, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and processed carbohydrates.
- Get up and get moving. The CDC recommends all adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity every week. Taking a brisk 30-minute walk Monday through Friday easily gets you to that goal.
- Kick those cigarettes to the curb. A recent study showed that quitting smoking may lower your risks of developing diabetes by as much as 30% to 40%.
