What is prediabetes?
A condition where the average blood sugars are higher than normal but do not meet the criteria for Diabetes Mellitus. In 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services stated that 83 million people in the United States potentially had this condition.
The first stage os insulin resistance. More insulin is required to move the glucose from the blood stream into the cell where it can be utilized for energy. This increases the demand for insulin from the Beta cells of the pancreas.
Over time, if the pancreas cannot keep up with the increased demands for insulin, the blood sugars will begin to rise. It is then that Prediabetes can develop.
By the time Diabetes Mellitus is diagnosed, 50% of the beta cell function is usually gone, therefore making the diagnosis of prediabetes an opportunity to change or delay the outcome!
Who should be tested for Prediabetes? People who:
- Are age 45 or older
- Overweight or Obese
- Physically Inactive
- Have a parent or sibling with diabetes
- Non-Caucasian
- Have given birth to a baby 9 lbs. or more
- History of gestational diabetes
- Hypertension
- HDL < 35 or a Triglyceride level of >250
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Having CVD
