November is American Diabetes Month. And with 79 million people diagnosed as pre-diabetic, education and efforts to stop diabetes have never been more important. If you are or know someone that is pre-diabetic, don’t delay! Studies tell us that early intervention can actually “turn back the clock” on elevated glucose levels.

Check out the link and take the pledge to STOP diabetes NOW (last week’s blog)

Get health insurance quotes here for diabetes screenings and insulin coverage.

What does it mean to be Pre-Diabetic?

Before being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, most people develop “pre-diabetes”, a serious medical condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal.

People with pre-diabetes often have no signs or symptoms, or don’t recognize them because they develop slowly over a period of time.

Who is at Risk for becoming Pre-Diabetic?

If you are overweight and age 45 or older – You should be checked for pre-diabetes during your next routine medical office visit.

If your weight is normal and you are over age 45 – You should ask your doctor during a routine office visit if testing is appropriate.

If you are under age 45 and overweight – Your doctor should recommend testing if you have any other risk factors for diabetes, including:

• High blood pressure
• Low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides
• Family history of diabetes
• History of gestational diabetes or delivering a baby weighing 9 pounds or more
• You belong to an ethnic or minority group at high risk for diabetes, including: African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, or Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders.
• Get health insurance quotes here for preventative screenings.

How is Pre-Diabetes diagnosed?

Doctors often refer to pre-diabetes as Impaired Glucose Tolerance or Impaired Fasting Glucose (IGT/IFG). Screening guidelines for pre- and type 2 diabetes are as follows:

• Fasting blood glucose of 100 mg/dl or lower is considered normal.
• Fasting blood glucose elevated to 100 – 125 mg/dl indicates pre-diabetes.
• Fasting blood glucose elevated to 126 mg/dl or higher indicates diabetes.

If your blood glucose levels are in the normal range, follow-up tests should occur every three years. If your results indicate pre-diabetes, you should be re-tested every one to two years after your diagnosis.

• Are health screenings covered? Get a quote to find out.

What do you do once you are diagnosed as Pre-Diabetic?

If diagnosed with pre-diabetes, you can and should do something about it. Studies show that people with this condition can prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes through lifestyle changes, including:

• Moderate weight loss (reducing total body weight by 5 to 10%)
• Regular exercise (30 minutes a day, 5 days a week)

For some people with pre-diabetes, early enough intervention can actually “turn back the clock” and return elevated blood glucose levels to the normal range.

For more ideas about a healthy lifestyle, check out these blogs

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