What To Know About Prediabetes

Before developing Type 2 diabetes, a person often has prediabetes. This means their blood sugar levels are high, but not at diabetic levels. A diagnosis of prediabetes offers an opportunity to improve health while there's still time to prevent diabetes.

Blood sugar can be measured with a simple finger stick, and the information gleaned from a blood sugar test can tell you a lot about your health. A normal blood sugar level is less than 100 mg/dL. People with glucose levels of 126 mg/dL or higher have diabetes. When fasting blood sugar levels are between 100 and 125 mg/dL, people have prediabetes, which often leads to diabetes.

High blood sugar can harm nerves and blood vessels, resulting in blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, gum and teeth problems, and stroke. Once you have diabetes, the body doesn't make enough insulin or cannot effectively use it to deliver glucose to the cells. Instead, your cells may not have the energy they need to function well.

Risk factors for prediabetes include:

• Being overweight
• Eating a lot of processed meat and drinking beverages with high sugar content
• Having a waist of 40 inches or larger for men and 35 inches or larger for women
• If you are 45 or older
• If you are Black, Hispanic, Indigenous or Asian American
• If you had gestational diabetes
• If you have a family history of diabetes
• If you have sleep apnea, you have an increased risk of insulin resistance
• Inactivity
• Smoking can increase insulin resistance and belly fat—precursors for diabetes
• Women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Modest changes in your diet and lifestyle can help you lower your blood sugar. Your doctor may suggest you lose 5 to 7% of your body weight and make a habit of exercising briskly for at least half an hour, five days a week. They may prescribe medications or help you find other resources, such as a nutritionist or a workout program.

Glucose Glossary

A fasting glucose test determines the glucose level in your blood after you have not eaten for a specified period, typically eight to 12 hours.

• Normal: less than 100 mg/dL
• Prediabetes: 100 –125 mg/dL
• Diabetes: more than 126 mg/dL

Glucose is a form of sugar your body makes from the carbohydrates you eat and drink. Glucose provides your body's cells with energy.

Insulin is a pancreatic hormone that allows cells to use glucose for energy.

Mg/dL refers to milligrams per deciliter. A measurement of 100 mg/dL is about the same as a tenth of an ounce per gallon.

OGTT stands for oral glucose tolerance test. This test follows a fasting glucose test; you drink a sugary beverage to see how effectively your body can clear the sugar from your blood.

• Normal: less than 140 mg/dL
• Prediabetes: 140–199 mg/dL
• Diabetes: more than 199 mg/dL

If you've been told or suspect you have high blood sugar, make an appointment with your doctor.

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