Prediabetes: Your Body’s Early Warning System

With cases of type 2 diabetes increasing at an alarming rate, even more attention is being paid to the diagnosis that comes before diabetes—a medical stage known as prediabetes. Determined by a ninety-day average of a person’s blood glucose, known as an A1C, between 5.7 and 6.4, prediabetes often goes undetected.

“Often patients come to see me for a regular checkup or some other issue, and during the course of routine bloodwork, we discover their blood glucose levels are elevated to the point of being prediabetic,” said Dr. Travis Jones, internal medicine physician with Intermountain Cedar City Hospital.

The reason people may not realize their glucose levels are approaching a danger zone is that many of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes do not appear until their A1C rises above 6.4. Still, it is far better for a person’s overall health to take action during the prediabetes stage rather than waiting for a diabetes diagnosis.

“Classically speaking, health complications such as neuropathy, kidney issues, and eye problems are more associated with diabetes,” Dr. Jones said. “But in the prediabetes stage, the same underlying process is still at work and can lead to inflammation in the blood vessels, putting the patient at greater risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and more.”

Although the news that a person’s blood glucose is in the prediabetic range may come as a surprise, it’s important for patients to consider the changes that can improve their health at this stage. This often starts with talking to their healthcare provider.

“It’s important for them to ask their provider what factors they can control in their personal life to decrease their risk of diabetes,” Dr. Jones said. “In many cases, they may benefit from a consultation with a nutritionist or from specific programs offered through their health insurance that are geared toward helping patients with prediabetes.”

In many cases, making changes to diet and exercise routines can make a big difference in whether prediabetes eventually becomes full-scale diabetes. In Dr. Jones’s experience, the outcome is determined heavily by the motivation and willingness of the patient. “Often, if a person can lose 5 to 10 percent of their body weight, that can make a clinically significant impact on a prediabetes diagnosis,” Dr. Jones said.

Other major risk factors besides being overweight include smoking, a history of gestational diabetes, and leading a sedentary lifestyle. “Even if you’re eating healthy, if you’re not moving enough, a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk,” Dr. Jones said.

Another component that can be more difficult to work around is genetics. “At the end of the day, sometimes genetics do play a role in all of this,” Dr. Jones said. “However, even if diabetes is something a patient cannot avoid despite their best efforts, they are still going to be in a much better position to deal with the diagnosis if they are doing things to promote overall health. Life with poorly controlled diabetes is much different from life with well-controlled diabetes.”

Things like exercising at least thirty minutes each day and eating a diet filled with nutrient-dense foods while limiting carbohydrates go a long way toward better health. “I recommend patients make sustainable changes to their eating habits, not just latch onto the latest diet fad,” Dr. Jones said. “Similarly, they should find a form of exercise that feels like a hobby or an enjoyable activity that helps them elevate their heart rate for at least thirty minutes.”

For people who have done all they can with diet and exercise, Dr. Jones encourages them to discuss further options with their healthcare provider.