Patient education: Lowering your risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (The Basics)

What is the difference between prediabetes and diabetes? — Diabetes is a disorder that disrupts the way the body uses sugar.

All of the cells in the body need sugar to work normally. Sugar gets into the cells with the help of a hormone called insulin. Insulin is made by the pancreas, an organ in the belly. When a person's body stops responding to insulin normally, blood sugar can rise over time. If the blood sugar rises high enough, type 2 diabetes develops. This can lead to other problems.

"Prediabetes" is a term doctors use if a person's blood sugar is higher than normal, but not high enough to be called diabetes. People with prediabetes are at high risk of getting type 2 diabetes over time.

What increases my risk for prediabetes and diabetes? — There are a few things that can increase your risk, including:

●Having excess body weight or obesity, especially if you carry extra weight in your belly area

●Not doing enough physical activity

●Smoking

●Having a close relative with diabetes

●Having diabetes during pregnancy, called "gestational diabetes"

Are there ways to lower my risk? — Yes. To lower your chances of getting prediabetes or diabetes, the most important things you can do are to eat a healthy diet and get plenty of physical activity. These can help you lose weight if you have excess body weight. But eating well and being active are also good for your overall health, whether or not they lead to weight loss. Even gentle activity, like walking, has benefits.

If you smoke, quitting can also lower your risk. This can be difficult, but your doctor or nurse can help. Quitting smoking also lowers your risk of stroke, heart disease, and lots of other problems.

How do I know if I have prediabetes? — There are 3 different tests that can show if your blood sugar is higher than normal. They measure blood sugar in different ways.

The tests are:

●Fasting glucose test – "Glucose" is the medical term for sugar. This test measures your blood sugar when you have not had anything to eat or drink (except water) for at least 8 hours. People with prediabetes have a fasting glucose between 100 and 125 (table 1).

●Glucose tolerance test – For this test, you do not eat or drink anything for 8 to 12 hours. But then, as part of the test, you have a sugary drink. Two hours later, a doctor or nurse takes a blood sample to see how high your blood sugar rose. People with prediabetes have blood sugar levels between 140 and 199 during this test (table 1).

●Hemoglobin A1C test (or just "A1C") – This test can be done at any time, even if you have recently eaten. It is a blood test that shows what your average blood sugar level has been for the past 2 to 3 months. People with prediabetes have A1C levels between 5.7 and 6.4.

What should I do if I have prediabetes? — If you have prediabetes, you can make lifestyle changes to lower the chance that you will get diabetes. You can:

●Eat a healthy diet – Try to eat a diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products, but low in meats, sweets, and refined grains. If you don't have fresh fruits and vegetables available, you can eat frozen ones instead. Try to avoid sweet drinks, like soda and juice.

If you are above your goal body weight, trying to get to a healthy body weight can help. Your doctor or nurse can help you find healthy ways to do this.

Losing 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can lower your risk a lot. For example:

•If you weigh 200 pounds (91 kg), this means losing 10 to 20 pounds (4.5 to 9 kg).

•If you weigh 150 pounds (68 kg), this means losing 7 to 15 pounds (3 to 7 kg).

●Be active for 30 minutes a day – You don't have to go to the gym or do heavy exercise to get a benefit. Activities like walking, gardening, and dancing can all help improve your health.

●Quit smoking – If you smoke, ask your doctor or nurse for advice on how to quit. People are much more likely to succeed if they have help and get medicines to help them quit.

Can medicines help lower my risk of diabetes? — Sometimes. Usually, doctors recommend trying lifestyle changes first. But if these changes do not help enough, your doctor might prescribe medicines. If so, follow all instructions for taking them.

Depending on your situation, you might get medicines to:

●Help lower your blood sugar

●Help you lose weight, if you have excess body weight or obesity

●Lower your blood pressure or cholesterol – Prediabetes also increases your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other problems, so these medicines are important.

More on this topic

Patient education: Hemoglobin A1C tests (The Basics)
Patient education: Type 2 diabetes (The Basics)
Patient education: The ABCs of diabetes (The Basics)
Patient education: Treatment for type 2 diabetes (The Basics)
Patient education: Weight loss treatments (The Basics)
Patient education: Diet and health (The Basics)
Patient education: Exercise and movement (The Basics)
Patient education: Quitting smoking (The Basics)
Patient education: Health risks of obesity (The Basics)

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