Prediabetes: Your Last Chance to Avoid Diabetes

 

What Is Prediabetes and Why Everyone Needs to Know It?

As the prevalence of diabetes is increasing and entering every household at an alarming speed, every effort needs to be done to prevent or avoid new cases of diabetes in our community. It is almost impossible to cure diabetes at present but if action is taken at an appropriate time before its onset, diabetes can be definitely prevented. This initial stage of prediabetes before actual diabetes onset is the stage to act more aggressively to prevent diabetes then to treat actual diabetes with lifelong drugs and/or insulin.

What does the word PRE-Diabetes Mean?  

Prediabetes, also sometimes called as Borderline Diabetes; 

Which comes before diabetes and in which the sugar levels are more than the normal range but the sugar levels aren’t as high enough to be labelled as actual diabetes. If not controlled with lifestyle changes and weight loss, it has high chances of progression to actual diabetes stage. Just lifestyle changes can reverse this and usually no pills are required at this stage

What Causes Prediabetes?

Our pancreas produces Insulin hormone, which shifts glucoses in to all cells of body and burns them for energy. In prediabetes, insulin doesn’t act as same efficiency as normal and sugar can’t be pushed into cells and sugar level in blood increases. Pancreas overproduces insulin to get cells to respond. Eventually the pancreas fails to increase insulin production, and your blood sugar rises, setting the stage for prediabetes—and eventually to type 2 diabetes if the process is not stopped or reversed.

Symptoms and risk factors:

There are no clear symptoms of prediabetes as such and You might be having it for months or years even without even knowing it. As only blood tests can diagnose this stage, you must ask your doctor for testing if you have any of the following risk factors of diabetes:

 

Tests for Prediabetes:

Simple blood sugar tests are required for diagnosing Prediabetes are same as diabetes tests:

1.                 1. HbA1c (3 months’ average sugar report):

Below 5.7 percent is NORMAL; Between 5.7 and 6.4 percent is PREDIABETES and 6.5 percent or higher indicates DIABETES

2.      Fasting blood sugar (FBS: early morning blood sugar level without eating anything for 8 hours)

FBS below 100 mg/dL is NORMAL; 100 to 125 mg/dL is PREDIABETES and 126 mg/dL or higher indicates DIABETES.

 

3.      Post Prandial blood sugar (PPBS: blood sugar level 2 hours after 75gm glucose/ sometimes meal)

PPBS below 140 mg/dL is NORMAL; from 140 to 199 mg/dL is PREDIABETES and 200 mg/dL or higher indicates DIABETES.

Good News !!  : Prediabetes can be reversed!

All you need to do is healthy lifestyle and reduction of excess weight and that can definitely reverse the condition and that’s your last chance to prevent Diabetes:

• Healthy Diet:  your diet needs to be low in refined carbohydrates (Sweets/ Sugary foods) , refined Oils and less calories. Fibre content should be more.  Whole fruits, vegetables and whole grains are welcomed. Fruit juices should be avoided, though smoothies are welcomed. Major meals should be avoided and small frequent meals are recommended. Breakfast must not be skipped.
  

  

  
  
  
  

• Do Regular Exercise: around 30 to 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity daily. Joining your favourite sports or aerobic activity or dancing will ensure that you stick with it for long time.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Lose excess weight. If you're overweight, you need to lose 5 to 10 percent of your body weight and it will reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Diet and exercise changes should be permanent for keeping weight in a healthy range.
  
  
  

• Stop smoking and tobacco if you are addicted to it.
  
  
  

• Very rarely Preventive medicines are started by diabetes specialists who are at very high risk for developing diabetes.
  
  
  

 

Dr. Jimit Vadgama
Diabetes, Thyroid & Hormone Specialist

517-518, Fifth Floor, Infinity Tower,

Beside Ayurvedic College,

Lal Darwaja - Station Road Surat, Gujarat 395003

Appointment No: 9537881438

ડો. જીમીત વડગામા 

ડાયાબિટીસ, થાઈરૉઈડ અને હોર્મોન સ્પેશિયાલીસ્ટ,

સ્વામીનારાયણ ડાયાબિટીસ, થાઈરૉઈડ અને હોર્મોન ક્લીનીક, 

517- 518, ઇન્ફીનીટી ટાવર, લાલ દરવાજા, સુરત 

 | Dr. Jimit Vadgama  | Best Sugar Doctor in Surat | Best Diabetologist in Surat|