Prediabetes is on the rise, but there is a way to stop it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 98 million American adults have prediabetes and 80% of them do not even know it. But it's important to know that by making a few changes your risk of developing type 2 diabetes can be lowered by half.

What is Prediabetes?

Prediabetes is a precursor, or an earlier stage, in the path to developing type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes can exist without any signs or symptoms. It can also manifest with very mild symptoms that may be intermittent depending on what you eat or how active you are on that day.  This is why most people don’t know they have prediabetes, and the most effective way to diagnose it is to have your doctor test for it. When you eat, the carbs in the food are digested and converted into glucose, which is the essential fuel for your body. Glucose from your meal gets absorbed into your bloodstream to be delivered to your organs and cells. Special “glucose gates” must open to allow glucose to enter the cells. Insulin is the “key” that can open those “glucose gates” up. Without insulin, the gates remain closed, and glucose accumulates in the blood. Too much glucose accumulating in the blood is not healthy for you, and if it gets above normal level, you have what we call prediabetes.   

Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas, by specialized cells called the beta cells. Unlike type 1 diabetes, in which the beta cells get destroyed by the person’s own immune system, in type 2 diabetes, the beta cells work fine, but your body is resistant to insulin. Insulin resistance is caused by many factors, but primarily by being overweight and not getting enough exercise.  In the early stages, your beta cells begin to compensate by making more insulin to overcome the resistance and keep blood glucose (BG) in the normal range.  Over time, this extra burden affects insulin production and BG starts rising slightly above normal, a stage that we call prediabetes. High blood sugar means that glucose is staying in the blood inside the arteries and veins instead of going into the cells where it can be utilized as depicted in the visual below:

 

Risk factors for developing prediabetes/Type 2 diabetes

 Prediabetes can go undetected for years. It is important to ask your doctor about getting your blood glucose (sugar) checked if you have any risk factors for prediabetes, such as:

  • Being overweight
  • Being 45 years or older
  • Having a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
  • Being physically sedentary with less than 3 days of exercise per week
  • Race or ethnicity of: African American, Hispanic/Latino American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, and some Asian American
  • In women, history of gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy), giving birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds, or having polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Screening for prediabetes

As mentioned above, a person with prediabetes may not have any symptoms.  This is why blood tests are crucial in people with risk factors. Your doctor can order a simple blood test which may include:

  • A1C test: a measure of your average blood glucose level over the past 2 or 3 months
  • Fasting BG: after an overnight fasting (normal is <100 mg/dl)
  • Random BG: during the day, typically after a meal (normal is <140 mg/dl)
  • Glucose tolerance test: occasionally, your doctor may order this test to measure your BG before and after a standardized meal

How to reduce the risk of developing prediabetes

It is important to emphasize that prediabetes is an early stage of inadequate insulin secretion and action, which can be reversed by making a few lifestyle changes that center around increasing physical activity and losing weight.  To promote this, the CDC developed a curriculum that aims at identifying people with or at risk for prediabetes and helping them lose a modest 5-7% of their current weight and enjoy a total of 150 minutes of activity each week. Our Nutu App is the all-in-one lifestyle app that focuses on helping you achieve those goals through small incremental changes for long lasting effects. With our comprehensive Nutu Score we will nudge you towards making informed choices about your food before eating, and everyday activities will count towards your daily 30-minute activity goal. The Nutu App will empower you to make long-lasting lifestyle changes and reverse prediabetes.

The bottom line

Prediabetes is your warning sign to begin making lifestyle changes so that you can avoid developing type 2 diabetes and its associated health problems. For many people it is very difficult to begin making those changes. We offer a free 7-day trial on our Nutu App. Nutu App is a 12-month Diabetes Prevention Program based on the CDC curriculum. Together we will jumpstart your journey towards a healthier lifestyle. With the help of the Nutu App you will be on the right track towards your health goals.

https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention-type-2/prediabetes-prevent-type-2.html

https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/diabetes/about-diabetes/about-prediabetes

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes

https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes-prevention/about-prediabetes-type-2/index.html#:~:text=Having%20prediabetes%20means%20your%20blood,Prediabetes%20can%20often%20be%20reversed.

https://www.diabetesfoodhub.org/articles/create-your-plate-simplify-meal-planning-with-the-plate-method.html

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes
DAWN MENNING, MS, RD, CDCES
About the Author DAWN MENNING, MS, RD, CDCES
Dawn Menning is the Program Director for Digital Health at Willow Laboratories. Menning is a certified diabetes care and education specialist and a registered dietitian who works with adults with chronic disease, prediabetes, and diabetes. She has a passion for helping people overcome challenges to live their best lives. In her free time she enjoys running, spending time with her family and dog, and traveling to explore new places.