The Health Nut Blog

You can prevent or, in some cases, delay the onset of diabetes by taking charge before it advances from what is known as the pre-diabetic stage to being a full-blown illness. Pre-diabetes refers to the stage where you have higher-than-normal blood glucose, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Pre-diabetes can lead to type 2 diabetes if nothing is done to reverse the condition. However, a recent study called the Diabetes Prevention Program, indicates that persons with pre-diabetes can stop type 2 diabetes from developing by increasing their physical activity and changing their eating habits.

The same risk factors for diabetes also hold true for pre-diabetes; that is, your race, your age, and your weight, to a lesser extent. Because persons of African, Native American, Latino, and Asian descent tend to have the predisposition towards diabetes, their race will also make them prone to developing pre-diabetes. Age plays a role, as the older you are, the more likely you are to develop pre-diabetes, especially if you fall into any of the previously mentioned racial groups.

Doctors can tell if you are pre-diabetic by performing two standard tests, namely the fasting test (FPG - Fasting Plasma Glucose) and the glucose tolerance test (OGTT - Oral Glucose Tolerance Test). The results of these tests will confirm whether you have pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or if you are diabetes-free.

The FPG test is normally done in the morning, and the patient is advised not to eat anything after 10 PM the previous night. A higher-than-normal reading for the FPG is an indication that you have been insulin resistant for a while.

OGTT, the glucose tolerance test, is used to measure your blood glucose level after an overnight fast, but unlike the FPG, you are also given a glucose drink two hours after the test. Your blood glucose levels are then checked two hours later; if the range is between 140 and 199 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter), you will be considered pre-diabetic. These levels are also an indication that you may develop type 2 diabetes later on. 

If you are tested positively as having pre-diabetes, it is important to take annual tests so that you catch developed diabetes in its early stages. Early diagnosis is the easiest way to get the disease under control before too much damage has been done to vital organs.

Preventing pre-diabetes is possible with a change of diet and an increase in activity level. Thirty minutes of moderate activity coupled with weight loss is recommended by the American Diabetes Association as the best way of minimizing your risk of becoming pre-diabetic. Even if you aren't in the category of people that are more predisposed to pre-diabetes or diabetes itself, proper health care and physical activity are important regardless.

To learn more go to Childhood Diabetes and at Symptoms Of Diabetes

# posted by NeilG @ 1:23 AM