Many shudder at the thought of being diagnosed with diabetes. However, many aren’t aware of what pre-diabetes is all about.
The formal medical explanation is either “impaired fasting glucose” or “impaired glucose tolerance”, depending on which test was administered.
Pre-diabetes refers to a blood sugar level that is higher than normal. It is not diabetes yet but one is dangerously on the edge with one foot hanging off the proverbial diabetes cliff.
Below are the specific numbers that define pre-diabetes:
- • A HbA1c reading of 5.7% to 6.4%
- • A fasting blood glucose level of 100 to 125 mg/dl
- • An oral glucose tolerance test result of 140 to 199 mg/dl
If you have been diagnosed as being in the pre-diabetes stage, do not fret. There are effective ways to reverse the condition.
Exercise: Exercise helps with preventing the onset of diabetes besides helping with weight loss, strengthening the heart and improving energy levels. So use this opportunity as an excuse to start jogging or running. If you prefer, swimming, hiking, playing futsal or practicing yoga are other wonderful alternatives.
Eat right: Eating a healthy diet is also effective. A worrying trend is that type 2 diabetes, a variation seen mostly in adults, is afflicting people at a younger age more than ever before. This could be blamed on the high sugar content in the foods we consume today that overworks our pancreas, causing it to produce more and more insulin and eventually tiring it out.
To remedy the situation, include more greens into your diet, and reduce intake of fatty and starchy foods. But you don’t have to scrap desserts completely – you can indulge occasionally as a reward for observing a healthier lifestyle.
Keep a food diary: An effective way to track what you put into your system is by listing down everything you eat throughout the day. Doing this for even a few days will give you a good idea of what your average diet is like. You may even be surprised at how much sugar you’ve been unknowingly consuming.
Lose weight: Aiming to lose weight is recommended for those in the pre-diabetes zone as they tend to carry a lot of belly fat.
Even for those diagnosed with diabetes, doctors recommend drastic lifestyle changes first before starting one on a regimen of tablets like metformin or commencing insulin injections.
Doctors only resort to recommending medication if lifestyle modifications fail to bring down sugar levels. Having a clear goal to step out of the pre-diabetes zone, will motivate you to exercise and eat right for the long-term.
However, if you have any doubts, speak to your doctor for advice.
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