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Home  Family Health Are You Pre-Diabetic?
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Are You Pre-Diabetic? |
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Wednesday, 31 May 2006 |
The American Diabetes Association reports that before people develop type 2 diabetes, they usually have ‘pre-diabetes’—blood glucose levels higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
The statistics are astounding. In the US, 41 million people aged 40 to 74, have pre-diabetes. While diabetes and pre-diabetes occur in people of all ages and races, some groups run a higher risk—African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population. Of course, this means they are also at increased risk for pre-diabetes.
Recent research shows that some long-term damage may occur during pre-diabetes, especially to the heart and circulatory system. But the research goes on to show that if you get proactive and manage your blood glucose during pre-diabetes, you may be able to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes from developing and may even return your blood glucose levels to the normal range.
To check if you’re pre-diabetic, talk to your physician about being tested. There are two different tests that can determine pre-diabetes—the fasting plasma glucose test (FPG) or the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
For more information on diabetes and pre-diabetes, including an online Risk Test, visit the American Diabetes Association (ADA) website at www.diabetes.org, or call them at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). Please note that much of the advice on nutrition and exercise intended for diabetics will also benefit pre-diabetics.
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