The conversation around prediabetes has entered a new day for Americans.
Earlier this week, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine published the first clinical practice guideline to prioritize lifestyle interventions in treating Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.
The guideline offers a comprehensive roadmap for clinicians to effectively incorporate therapeutic lifestyle behavior interventions as a mainstay of treatment, while also complementing existing guidelines for diabetes, many of which mention lifestyle as part of care but often do not provide specifics.
So, what is prediabetes? What are the symptoms? What could be the short-term and long-term complications of having prediabetes?
What is prediabetes and where does it originate?
Prediabetes is a warning of Type 2 diabetes. It develops when a person’s blood sugar levels are elevated but not enough to be fully diagnosed. Type 2 diabetes.
According to the American Diabetes Association, people who are 45 years old with prediabetes have a 10-year risk of developing Type 2 diabetes ranging from 9-14 percent.
Researchers estimate that 84 million adults in the U.S. have prediabetes. More than 80 percent of people with prediabetes don’t know they have it.
What are symptoms, causes of prediabetes?
Most people with prediabetes don’t have any symptoms, but darkened skin, skin tags, and changes in the eyes could be indicators of a person being prediabetic.
The main cause of prediabetes results from a person being insulin resistant. Insulin resistance happens when cells in your muscles, fat and liver don’t respond regularly to insulin. Insulin is a hormone your pancreas makes that regulates blood sugar levels.
Genetics, excess body fat, visceral fat, physical inactivity and persistently eating highly processed, high-carbohydrate foods and saturated fats can all contribute to a person becoming insulin resistant.
What are short-term and long-term complications of prediabetes?
Becoming prediabetic can be problematic for a person, with the main complication of it developing into Type 2 diabetes.
Other issues can arise, such as heart attacks, strokes, eye problems, kidney issues and nerve damage.
Reversing prediabetes can be done, but it’s typically not possible to reverse diabetes complications.
