Prediabetes – Here’s What You Need to Know

Prediabetes is a pretty scary term; if you are diagnosed as a prediabetic, it means that your current lifestyle is leading your body to ruin. Basically, a prediabetic is a person whose blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as full on diabetes. If left untreated, prediabetes can easily transform to type 2 diabetes, stroke, or heart disease.

The good news though is that unlike diabetes, which is a condition that has to be monitored for a person’s entire life, prediabetes is actually reversible. Turning around prediabetes is not necessarily easy, but it is possible. It requires a dedicated commitment to making long term lifestyle changes such as, diet, exercise, and medicine.

Prediabetes Symptoms

There are no extremely clear symptoms that distinguish prediabetes. That being said, there are some general warning signs that should prompt you to consult your doctor. Some common symptoms of prediabetes include:

• Increased thirst
• Fatigue
• Increased urination – especially at night
• Blurry vision
• Sores or cuts that refuse to heal

Prediabetes can also cause conditions associated with insulin resistance such as, acanthosis nigricans or polycystic ovarian syndrome. These conditions normally cause the development of thick, dark and velvety patches of skin. Typically, the discoloration happens around the:

• Knees
• Elbows
• Armpits
• Neck
• Knuckles

Treating Prediabetes

Treating prediabetes, also known as, preventing type 2 diabetes is not very complicated. The biggest difficult will be making healthy lifestyle changes. A good prediabetic treatment should:

• Maintain a diet that contains lots of dietary fiber
• Have a regular exercise regimen
• Focused on weight loss
• Incorporate medication prescribed by a person’s doctor

A low carbohydrate diet is another good treatment option for prediabetes. Low carb diets have been shown to help people lose weight and regulate blood sugar levels effectively.