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Understanding Prediabetes Symptoms, Causes & Treatment
Prediabetes is a condition in which the person has higher than normal levels of blood sugar, but they aren’t as high to be categorized under diabetes. If left untreated, the situation can turn into full-blown type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or even stroke.
The good news is that prediabetes can be reversed. Those who make lifestyle changes and work to defeat the situation comprehensively are usually successful. Those who ignore the warning signs end up suffering from diabetes within a decade.
What Are The Causes Of Prediabetes?
The exact reason why prediabetes as a condition develops in an individual is still a mystery. In a healthy body, when the food is eaten, it is broken down into glucose molecules. These are the smallest units that the body can use to release energy. The pancreas produces a hormone, insulin that is responsible for delivering the glucose molecules to the cells. As the food gets digested, the blood sugar levels increase, and this triggers the pancreas to release insulin. As insulin courses through in the bloodstream, the glucose gets delivered to the cells and energy is released.
In those who have this condition, either the body becomes resistant to insulin, or it doesn’t produce it in enough quantities. This leads to high blood sugar levels. If the situation is not controlled, it can snowball into diabetes.
A condition in which blood sugar is high, but not high enough to be type 2 diabetes. Without intervention, it’s likely to become type 2 diabetes within 10 years.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka – MBBS, MD(Pediatrics)
Risk Factors
Many risk factors contribute to the condition.
- Genes and family history have a huge role to play in a predisposition towards this health condition. If someone close to you in the family has diabetes, you need to be doubly careful about your health.
- An inactive and sedentary lifestyle is bad for your sugar health.
- A diet rich in fats, sugar and carbohydrates is also responsible for high blood sugar levels in the blood.
- Having a high BMI (more than 25) is terrible for your health. Usually, those who are overweight or obese tend to have higher than acceptable BMIs.
- Waist size also influences those with prediabetes. For men more than 40 inches and for women more than 35 inches of waist size is an open invitation to this condition.
- Those women who have had gestational diabetes are at risk of developing this and diabetes.
- Those women who have been suffering from PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) are at risk of this condition because PCOS increases insulin resistance.
- Sleep patterns also influence glucose metabolism in the body. Insomniacs and those who suffer from sleep disorders increase their susceptibility to diabetes.
- Those who suffer from high blood pressure at more vulnerable to prediabetes.
- Those who have a high level of triglycerides and low levels of HDL (good cholesterol) in their blood are also at risk of developing prediabetes. Read more about recommended cholesterol levels.
- Age is another factor that affects predisposition towards prediabetes. After 45 years, both men and women are more vulnerable to prediabetes.
People usually mistaken appearance of black velvety patches on neck, behind the neck, elbows, inner thighs, armpits etc. These are early signs of insulin resistance which need blood sugar testing.
Dr. Arpit Verma, MBBS, MD (Pharmacology)
Symptoms Of Prediabetes
While there are no apparent symptoms of prediabetes, there are certain warning signs. Darkened skin on the body, especially, neck, armpits, knees, elbows and knuckles region. Other warning signs are:
High blood sugar levels are responsible for creating a more dehydrated environment in the body. This makes the person very thirsty.
Since the person ends up drinking so many fluids, the body throws out the excess water as urine. Another reason why frequent urination happens is that there is a high level of blood sugar. This creates toxicity in the body and signals the kidneys to throw out the excess sugar as urine.
Since the person cannot utilize the glucose released from food, he continually feels fatigued and has low energy levels.
Fluctuating sugar levels lead to a blurring in the vision. The eyes can look because of a lens present in them. This lens bends and stretches to form images. Due to a high amount of glucose in the blood, the lens loses its flexibility. In most cases, if the sugar is brought under control, it leads to the restoration of vision.
Women identified with prediabetes in early pregnancy have been reported to have an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes compared with women with lower HbA1c levels, it should usually go away after the pregnancy, but a close follow-up is very necessary.
Dr Ashish Bajaj – M.B.B.S, M.D.
Frequent Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
Those women who have prediabetes suffer from frequent UTIs. The high sugar in the body provides a conducive environment for viruses and bacteria to prosper leading to frequent infections in the genital organs.
How To Diagnose Prediabetes?
It can be diagnosed with the help of simple blood tests. The following tests can be conducted:
This is the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test. The doctor advises eating nothing post-dinner the night before. Early morning after taking a blood sample, a glucose drink is given to the person. Two hours later, another blood sample is taken. If the blood glucose level after two hours comes between 144- 190 mg/dL, you have prediabetes.
Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPG)
This is similar to OGTT. After your dinner the night before, you are not supposed to eat anything. In the morning, a blood sample is taken. If the blood glucose comes between 100 and 125 mg/dL, you have prediabetes.
Treatment For Prediabetes
In most cases of prediabetes, lifestyle changes are recommended. Your doctor will guide you on how to improve the situation, but the following points are usually mentioned.
Weight loss, at less than five to 10%, can reduce the risks of developing diabetes. Those who are overweight or obese are more at risk of high sugar levels.
Eating a high fibre diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains is recommended to improve health.
Read More About 4 Best Foods for Diabetics
Many people feel that eating a low carbohydrate diet helps to reduce sugar levels. Replace carbs with protein to stay healthy.
Exercising helps to reduce blood glucose levels and improve mood. Even a 30-minute walk, five days a week can work wonders. Read more about the health benefits of exercise.
Complications
If left untreated, prediabetes can have serious complications. Apart from diabetes, the following complications can develop.
Read More About 9 Signs & Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes
Disclaimer: The information included at this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional. Because of unique individual needs, the reader should consult their physician to determine the appropriateness of the information for the reader’s situation
Prediabetes: What’s Next for Your Lifestyle?
Prediabetes is a blessing in disguise to warn you about your risk of developing full-blown type 2 diabetes. It’s when your blood glucose level or blood sugar level is higher than normal, but it’s not adequate to be considered as diabetes.If you fall under any of these categories, you might be at risk of developing prediabetes:- Have a family history of diabetes.
- Are habitually physically inactive.
- Have elevated blood pressure.
- Have previously been identified as having IFG (impaired fasting glucose) or IGT (impaired glucose tolerance).
- Have or had gestational diabetes or have given birth to a child weighing more than 4 kilograms.
- Have a history of vascular disease.
- Have an HDL cholesterol level (the ”good” cholesterol) of 35 mg/dl or lower and/or triglyceride level of 250 mg/dl or higher. Read more about normal cholesterol levels.
- Have polycystic ovary syndrome.
Prediabetes does not show any unusual symptoms. If you have classic diabetes symptoms like needing to visit the toilet too often, you might be suffering from prediabetes. Also, people with prediabetes can contract a skin disorder called acanthosis nigricans which shows up as dark, thick patches in areas of your body where there are skin folds or creases. Acanthosis nigricans often appears in the armpits, on the neck, inside the elbows, behind the knees and on the knuckles.Also Read: Is Honey Good for Diabetes? Unveiling the Research Behind the Sweet RemedyChanging your lifestyleIt goes without saying that lifestyle changes are needed to ward off prediabetes. You can reduce your risk of prediabetes by 58% through continued modest weight loss and improved moderate-intensity physical activity, such as walking for 30 minutes a day.With prediabetes, it’s not so much about ‘what’ you should eat, but ‘how much’ you should eat. If you are obese, your primary and foremost goal should be to lose weight. This means working with a dietitian to determine the amount and kind of food you should eat at every meal. One of the main issues in losing weight is calculating the portion size.Your dietitian will also advise you on how to make food choices that cut down on the amount of fat you consume because each gram of fat has considerably more calories in it than a gram of protein or carbohydrate. This means:- Cutting back on the amount of butter you use in cooking.
- Eating more foods that are broiled and fewer foods that are fried.
- Eating more meatless meals or making your meals so that your dinner plate has more fruit, vegetables and starches on it and less meat.
- Eating fish and chicken more and only lean cuts of beef.
Along with weight loss, your objective will be to start a program of physical activity, if you aren’t getting regular exercise at the present. Physical activity will help you use the insulin you produce to change the fare you consume into energy. This will help keep your blood glucose lower as required. If you have a small bite of halwa with a meal, follow it up with a quick walk.Also Read: 5 Symptoms of Prediabetes to Watch out For!Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes. 