Prediabetes Epidemic

Over 80% of people with prediabetes don’t know they have it because they don’t get tested regularly.

Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose, or sugar, levels are too high. More than nine in 10 cases are type 2 or “adult-onset” diabetes, the kind linked to excess body weight and physical inactivity.

Insulin resistance is when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver can’t use the insulin it makes. As a result, the pancreas produces more insulin to help glucose get into your cells. The CDC relates insulin to a key that lets sugar into cells for use as energy.

One in three adults in the U.S. has prediabetes – that’s about 96 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People with prediabetes have high blood sugar levels that can lead to developing type 2 diabetes.

Over 80% of people with prediabetes don’t know they have it because they don’t get tested regularly.

Prediabetes can leave you at risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Some good news is that an active lifestyle and weight loss can help prevent or delay serious health problems.

The American Diabetes Association recommends testing for prediabetes and diabetes in adults without symptoms who are overweight and have one or more risk factors. They include:

• lack of physical inactivity
• parent or sibling with diabetes
• family background is African American, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Alaska Native, American Indian or Pacific Islander
• gestational diabetes or gave birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds
• high blood pressure
• low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol
• high triglyceride levels
• polycystic ovary syndrome
• impaired fasting glucose or glucose tolerance in previous testing
• severe obesity and other conditions associated with insulin resistance
• cardiovascular disease

Can I change it?

The good news about a prediabetes diagnosis is that it can be used as warning sign. Prediabetes can allow you to take control of and change your health and habits before it’s too late. Modest lifestyle changes can delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes in prediabetics. These changes can even restore normal blood-glucose levels.

A 5-7% weight loss along with 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity can reduce the onset of type 2 diabetes in prediabetics by nearly 60%.

If this sounds like a lot, here’s some perspective: For someone who weighs 200 pounds, a 5-7% weight loss means 10-14 pounds. And 150 minutes of exercise can translate into a brisk 30-minute walk, five days a week.

What foods should I eat?

“People with prediabetes do not have to eliminate entire food groups,” she explains. “All foods can fit in the meal plan, and patients should steer clear of fad diets and other strategies that promise quick fixes, since their claims are not supported. We encourage making gradual behavior changes. Small changes can lead to big results.” – Tara Seymour, clinical dietitian and diabetes educator at Johns Hopkins

The ADA’s version of the recommendations suggests these proportions for meals:

• 50% of the plate filled with nonstarchy vegetables, such as leafy greens
• 25% with healthy carbohydrates, such as whole grains like brown rice, farro or quinoa
• 25% with lean protein, such as chicken, turkey, fish or tofu, not fried

Water or another zero-calorie beverage is preferred.

Seymour also recommends:

• Avoiding excessive intake of added sugars by limiting sugary beverages, cakes, cookies, candy and snacks
• Limiting portion sizes of refined carbohydrate foods such as white bread, white rice and white pasta
• Incorporating fiber to reach a goal of 25 to 30 grams per day by eating a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains
• Limiting saturated and trans fats by choosing lean protein and low-fat dairy

Blood sugar levels are important indications of prediabetes, and it’s no sec