If you鈥檝e been diagnosed with prediabetes, you may have a lot of questions. How is it different from diabetes? What lifestyle changes do I need to make? Can I reverse it?
Having prediabetes means your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but are not yet high enough to classify as type 2 diabetes. Ultimately, it means your body is becoming resistant to insulin, causing glucose to build up in your bloodstream.
Controlling your condition is very important, as unmanaged prediabetes increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. People with pre-diabetes already have increased amounts of inflammation in the body, which can lead to disease.
Control Your Risk Factors
Prediabetes can be tricky because people have no noticeable symptoms.
鈥淓levated blood sugar in the prediabetes range doesn鈥檛 feel like anything, and so usually it鈥檚 picked up on a routine blood test,鈥 says Amy Locke, MD, FAAFP, a family medicine doctor and Chief Wellness Officer at 麻豆学生精品版.
Because prediabetes can be a silent condition, it鈥檚 important to know if you have any risk factors. And if you do, get screened regularly.
Risk factors of prediabetes include:
- A sedentary lifestyle
- Being overweight
- Eating poorly
- Smoking tobacco
- A history of gestational diabetes
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- Being 45 years or older
- A family history of type 2 diabetes
- Race and ethnicity
Obviously, you can鈥檛 control your age, race, or family medical history. But properly managing the risk factors you can control鈥攍ike diet and exercise鈥攃an greatly reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
Can You Reverse Your Diagnosis?
Yes, you can, by making lifestyle changes such as:
- Make dietary changes: Choose a balanced diet of plant-based lean proteins, whole grains, non-starchy vegetables, and healthy fats. Cut out added sugars and highly processed foods.
鈥淭he foods that have the most impact on elevating blood sugar are those that are digested very quickly,鈥 Locke says. 鈥淲hen you eat processed carbs and sugars, your blood sugar immediately goes up, and then it comes crashing down. You get these peaks and valleys of blood sugar throughout the day, and that can lead to diabetes over time.鈥 - Get active: Exercising helps the body use insulin more effectively, so try to get moderate exercise three to five times a week. If you鈥檙e new to working out, start at an intensity that鈥檚 appropriate for your fitness level. Walking a little bit each day is a great place to start.
- Lose weight: Even dropping a small amount of weight can be significant for your blood sugar levels. According to the losing just 7% of your body weight can help prevent prediabetes from turning into type 2 diabetes.
- Manage stress: Chronic stress can cause your blood sugar levels to increase, so be sure you are getting plenty of sleep and incorporating mindfulness practices such as yoga or meditation into your life.
鈥淪leep is really important for blood sugar control,鈥 Locke says. 鈥淧eople who don鈥檛 get enough sleep or whose sleep is disrupted have much higher blood sugars than people who get adequate sleep.鈥 - Follow your doctor鈥檚 medication orders: While a healthy lifestyle is critical to reversing prediabetes, some people benefit from medication. It鈥檚 important to carefully follow your doctor鈥檚 instructions.
See Your Doctor Regularly
If you鈥檝e been diagnosed with prediabetes and you鈥檙e overwhelmed about how to get it under control, Locke recommends speaking with a health care professional who can work with you to explore lifestyle interventions.
鈥淎 lot of folks already know what a good diet looks like, but they鈥檙e just having trouble getting going with that plan,鈥 Locke says. 鈥淗ealth coaching can be a very helpful tool for someone who feels like they know what they should do with exercise, sleep, and diet but needs help learning to fit it into their day.鈥
A prediabetes diagnosis does not mean you will eventually develop type 2 diabetes. Working with your doctor and enacting lifestyle changes can have a significant positive impact on your condition.