Dear dietician,
My husband has just been diagnosed with prediabetes. We were given a piece of paper with information about it, but we had many questions left unanswered. Does he need a special diet? Will he have full blown diabetes in a few years? We need more information, please.
Susanne
Dear Susanne,
A new diagnosis can be overwhelming and often leaves us with many questions. You are wise to seek information. Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar is high but not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 84 million American adults have prediabetes, and 90% of them don’t know they have it.
The good news is that you can prevent prediabetes from turning into type 2 diabetes by changing your lifestyle. Some estimate that you can reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes by 40 to 70%!
According to the American Diabetes Association, prediabetes is defined by one or more of the following criteria:
• An A1C level of 5.7% to 6.4%. Your A1C is a 3 month average of blood sugar levels.
• Fasting glucose levels from 100 to 125 mg / dl. Fasting means that you haven’t eaten for at least 8 hours before the glucose test.
• Two hour oral glucose tolerance test from 140 to 99 mg / dL. This test is used to diagnose gestational diabetes.
Your risk factors for prediabetes are:
• Family history
• To be overweight
• 45 years or older
• Be physically active for less than 30 minutes a week
• Have gestational diabetes
• with polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Ethnicity – Prediabetes rates are higher among African American, Hispanic, and Native American people.
Two things can be changed from these risk factors: weight and physical activity. If you need to lose weight, do it. Losing weight can seem overwhelming, so commit to a new health plan for 30 days. At the end of the 30 days you will see the fruits of your labor and hopefully it will motivate you to keep going.
When choosing a weight loss plan, watch out for overly restrictive diets, both in terms of calories and food groups. A program that is too restrictive will only make us feel disadvantaged, which will cause us to fail.
Exercise is just as important in prediabetes as a healthy diet. Physical activity transports blood sugar from your extremities to your core, where it can be used. Don’t overdo it here either. Start with an 800-minute walk three times a week, then gradually increase the time to 150 minutes a week. You can also enjoy a better mood and better sleep through physical activity.
Remember what you do makes a difference. Taking care of yourself is one of life’s greatest privileges. Nobody else can do it for you.
Until next time, stay healthy!
Dear dietician
Leanne McCrate is an award-winning nutritionist based out of Missouri. Their mission is to educate the public about healthy, evidence-based nutrition. Do you have a nutritional question? Send her an email at deardietitian411@gmail.com.
