Diabetes is a disease we all know something about, but until it becomes personal, many of us don’t know enough. For most adults, Type 2 diabetes is the more common diagnosis when problems arise, and is a disease that we can control and many times prevent or delay with the right interventions. Prediabetes can be a blessing in disguise if you want to head off one of America’s most common and costly health problems.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in 2018, “34.2 million Americans had diabetes, and another 88 million US adults had prediabetes, a serious health condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.”
Not only can prediabetes lead to Type 2 diabetes, but it can also lead to even more serious conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, and some amputations. Yet the symptoms of prediabetes are usually silent, so regular checkups and routine testing are a must.
Once you’re aware of a prediabetes diagnosis, you can work with health providers to develop a plan. It usually involves a combination of changes to diet and exercise, and may involve nutritionists or exercise trainers. Even a loss of five to ten pounds may be enough to get your body on the right track again. Awareness and continual monitoring are keys to success.
If you’d like to learn more about prediabetes, check out the websites below from the CDC and American Diabetes Association:
Division of Diabetes Translation At A Glance
With prediabetes, action is the best medicine.
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