Have you been diagnosed with prediabetes? Going for a blood sugar test, you may have noticed that your blood sugar levels are at the borderline or higher than normal. But not yet in the diabetic range Prediabetes can indicate that you may develop diabetes. But the good news is that you can still keep this under control.
Our body makes a hormone, insulin to help utilize blood sugar from our food. Prediabetes occurs when your body cannot produce enough insulin or when the body is unable to utilize the insulin produced. It is important to make changes in diet, lifestyle and exercise at this stage to prevent diabetes later on in life.
Prediabetes can be diagnosed from 3 blood tests:
Test 1: Fasting Plasma Glucose Test:
You need to be fasting for 8 hours before you take this test. An overnight fast is recommended. You need to have dinner no later 10 pm.
• Normal fasting blood glucose should be in the range of 70-100 mg/dL (no diabetes)
• Blood sugar between 100-125 mg/dL (indicative of a pre- diabetic state)
• Blood sugar of 126 mg/dL or higher (Diabetes)
Diabetes is diagnosed when two separate blood tests show that the fasting blood glucose level is >126 mg/dL. Earlier the diagnostic cut off was 140 mg/ Dl, however the American Diabetic Association lowered the cut off value since research pointed out that those with fasting plasma glucose levels between 126 mg/dl and 140 mg/dl were likely to develop medical complications of diabetes.
Test 2: Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT or GTT)
After the Fasting Glucose Test is done, you need to drink a sugary solution (that contains 75 g of sugar) and repeat the blood test after 2 hours. This is usually used to check for gestational diabetes (or pregnancy related diabetes)
• Normal: if blood sugar is < 140 mg/dL
• Prediabetes if blood sugar is 140-199 mg/dL
• Diabetes if blood sugar is 200 mg/dL or higher
Test 3: Hb1Ac or Hemoglobin A1C
This gives an indication of your blood sugars over a period of 3 months. Hemoglobin A1C is a protein present in red blood cells. Sugar molecules stick on to this protein during the life span of a red blood cell, which is normally 3 months (120 days). This test can help correlate with other blood tests to establish if one has prediabetes or diabetes.
• Normal: <5.7 %
• Prediabetes: 5.7-6.4 %
• Diabetes: > 6.5 (after testing on two separate occasions)
While prediabetes can happen to anyone, some factors make this more common in some, than in others.
• Being over 45
• Having a family history of diabetes
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Being overweight or obese
• Abdominal Adiposity
What can be done?
Treating prediabetes is the best thing you can do. This helps reverse the onset of diabetes. This serves as a wakeup call. Lifestyle changes at this point are very important and should be implemented immediately. The Diabetes Prevention Program, stresses on the following lifestyle changes:
1. Weight management- It is important to keep at a healthy weight, this means losing weight if you are overweight or obese. A loss of even 10% of one’s body weight helps confer positive health benefits.
2. Fitness and Exercise- A fit and healthy lifestyle helps to get your heart rate up. This can include 45 minutes of brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming etc. Aerobic exercises help increase heart rate. However, it is important that before exercising, you get a green signal from your doctor. Visit a gym and talk to a fitness trainer to help assess which type of exercise will suit you best. You could also contact a physiotherapist for exercises you can do.
3. Nutritious and Healthy meals- Cut out refined carbs, junk foods, maida based products, sweets, carbonated beverages and processed/ ready to eat foods. Aim for whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, protein. Fiber rich foods like oats help in controlling blood sugars. This helps improve insulin resistance and will keep you at a healthy weight. It is also important not to consume more than 1500 mg of sodium in a day. This amounts to a little less than ¾th tsp. of table salt in a day. Processed and junk foods each contain a high amount of salt which is why you need to steer clear of them, so you do not exceed the sodium levels mentioned.
4. Medication- If absolutely necessary, your doctor may put you on Metformin to help prevent Type 2 Diabetes.
Being diagnosed with pre- diabetes is like a wakeup call. You need to get your health back on track. It is important you work closely with your health care provider to make necessary lifestyle changes. Keep monitoring your blood sugars regularly and attend scheduled follow ups with your doctor. Pursue an active, healthy lifestyle. By making these changes, you are doing yourself a favour and you are making a huge investment into your health!
With inputs from:
1. http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/what-is-prediabetes-or-borderline-diabetes
2. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prediabetes/home/ovc-20270022
3. https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/pre-diabetes/pre-diabetes
4. https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/diabetes-resources/definitions/fasting-plasma-glucose-test/
5. http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/type-2-diabetes-guide/diagnosing-type-2-diabetes#1
6. http://www.healthline.com/health/glucose-tolerance-test#followup7
7. https://apollosugar.com/all-about-diabetes/diabetes-diagnosis/blood-check/
8. http://www.medicinenet.com/hemoglobin_a1c_test/article.htm