Signs of Prediabetes: Knowing Them Could Save Your Life

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Prediabetes – Signs to look out for

checking for signs of prediabetes

It is good you came here for signs of prediabetes, to be safe. Diabetes is one of the most prevalent conditions around the world. In 2015, around 9.4% of the USA had diabetes. There are two types of diabetes; in type 1 our body doesn’t produce insulin (a hormone that regulates the sugar levels). The most common one is type 2, in this type we do produce insulin, but we don’t use it properly. When diabetes isn’t treated it can lead to serious complications like kidney damage or eye damage. There is a condition that can increase the risk of suffering from diabetes, is called prediabetes, and is the condition that we are going to talk to you about in this article.

What is prediabetes?

Also known as borderline diabetes, prediabetes is a condition when you have high blood sugar levels, but they are not high enough to diagnose you with diabetes type 2. The blood sugar levels of borderline diabetes are generally between 100-125 mg/dl. Sometimes prediabetes comes with no signs or symptoms, which makes it harder to be diagnosed. Prediabetes is more common than what you think, in 2015 around 84.1 million people in the US had it.

Why is important to get an early diagnose of prediabetes?

Prediabetes makes you more prone to suffer from diabetes. If you know of the signs of prediabetes to look for and make lifestyle changes to fight against it. Remember that diabetes cannot be reversed, and once it has advanced it has life-threatening complications, so the prediabetes stage is your last chance to prevent it.

What are the signs of prediabetes?

These are the risks that you need to keep an eye on:

  • You suffer from Obesity or overweight.
  • Your mom or dad has diabetes.
  • Unhealthy diet, high in sugar, and saturated fats.
  • Lack of physical activity.
  • You suffer hypertension.
  • Excessive abdominal fat.
  • Sleep disorders.
  • Certain conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome.
  • Metabolic syndrome.
  • You suffered gestational diabetes.

What are the warning symptoms of prediabetes?

If you experience any of these signs of prediabetes regularly, go to a doctor:

  • You experience more fatigue than usual.
  • You feel the urge to urinate too often.
  • Your urine smells weird.
  • You have skin discoloration or skin tags.
  • Irritability.
  • Tingling in certain parts of your body like the hands or feet.
  • Excessive appetite.
  • You feel more thirsty than usual.
  • Nausea.
  • Blurred vision.
  • Unexplained weight gain.

How can I get diagnose for prediabetes?

If you match any of the symptoms above, is important that you assist with a qualified doctor to get the necessary tests in order to be diagnosed. There are some of the tests your doctor will perform;

  • A simple blood sugar test: If the blood sugar level is higher than 100mg/dl, you might have prediabetes.
  • Glucose tolerance test: This one is mostly done on pregnant women. If the sugar level is higher than 140mg/dl but lower than 199mg/dl means the woman has diabetes.
  • A1C Glycated hemoglobin test: This is the most effective test to diagnose diabetes. It measures the percentage of blood sugar attached to the hemoglobin and is able to tell you the blood sugar levels of the past three months. If the level is between 5.7 and 6.4, then you have prediabetes.

Once you know for sure that you have prediabetes is important you regularly testing your blood sugar levels to check if the condition is either reversing or getting worse.

I’ve been diagnose with prediabetes now what?

Fortunately been diagnosed with prediabetes doesn’t mean that you are for sure getting diabetes. You just need to have a few lifestyle changes in order to reverse the condition:

  • Start an active life: Gradually start to do exercise, you can start with something as simple as walking, then start running, or do something more fun like dancing, or swimming. This will reduce the risk of diabetes as well as other conditions like hypertension. If you are currently overweight, doing exercise can help you to lose weight and reduce even more the risk of diabetes.
  • Healthy diet: Avoid high sugar foods, and saturated fats, incorporate more fruits, vegetables, beans, healthy fats, and whole grains into your diet.
  • Stop with unhealthy habits like smoking, or drinking alcohol.