What Do You Mean - PreDiabetes?How can you have prediabetes? Either you have diabetes or you don't, right? Here is the news. This is a clear warning. You are showing signs of diabetes. Prediabetes is another name for Syndrome X, Metabolic Syndrome or Dysmetabolic Syndrome. They are all essentially the same thing but none of them are a health condition that you would want to perpetuate. Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. This condition is sometimes called impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), depending on the test used to diagnose it. It has been estimated that as many as one in four adults aged 20 years or older in the industrialised nations of the world had pre-diabetes in 2007. People with prediabetes are highly likely to go on and develop full blown diabetes 2 (formerly called adult-onset diabetes) unless they are prepared to take serious action to turn their health around. Type 2 diabetes is sometimes defined as the form of diabetes that develops when the body does not respond properly to insulin, as opposed to type 1 diabetes , in which the pancreas makes little or no insulin. Studies have shown that most people with pre diabetes develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years, unless they lose 5 to 7 percent of their body weight by making changes in their diet and level of physical activity. People with prediabetes also are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. What are the symptoms of insulin resistance and pre-diabetes?Insulin resistance and pre-diabetes usually have only very mild symptoms . People may be afflicted for several years without noticing anything out of the ordinary. Because insulin resistance creeps up on you so slowly most folks attribute it to the advancing years. Until you ask yourself the simple questions outlined on the symptoms page, it may not dawn on you that all of these issues are in fact related.Even most doctors will focus on treating the symptoms of Syndrome X as seperate issues. This is not a criticism. That's just the way they have been trained. People with a severe form of insulin resistance may have dark patches of skin, usually on the back of the neck. Sometimes people have a dark ring around their neck. Other possible sites for dark patches include elbows, knees, knuckles, and armpits. This condition is called acanthosis nigricans. How are insulin resistance and pre-diabetes diagnosed?Health care providers use blood tests to determine whether a person has prediabetes but do not usually test for insulin resistance. Insulin resistance can be assessed by measuring the level of insulin in the blood. However, the test that most accurately measures insulin resistance, called the euglycemic clamp, is too costly and complicated to be used in most doctors’ offices. The clamp is a research tool used by scientists to learn more about glucose metabolism. If tests indicate pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance most likely is present.Diabetes and pre diabetes can be detected with one of the following tests: * Fasting glucose test. This test measures blood glucose in people who have not eaten anything for at least 8 hours. This test is most reliable when done in the morning. Fasting glucose levels of 100 to 125 mg/dL are above normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. This condition is called pre-diabetes or IFG. People with IFG often have had insulin resistance for some time. They are much more likely to develop diabetes than people with normal blood glucose levels. * Glucose tolerance test. This test measures blood glucose after people fast for at least 8 hours and 2 hours after they drink a sweet liquid provided by a doctor or laboratory. A blood glucose level between 140 and 199 mg/dL means glucose tolerance is not normal but is not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. This form of pre-diabetes is called IGT and, like IFG, it points toward a history of insulin resistance and a risk for developing diabetes. Can insulin resistance and pre-diabetes be reversed?Absolutely - if you really want to. Physical activity and weight loss help the body respond better to insulin. By losing weight and being more physically active, people with insulin resistance or pre-diabetes may avoid developing type 2 diabetes. The physical activity does not have to be overly strenuous. The hardest part is changing the habits that have developed and got you where you are today.Here's the kicker though. If you have
Metabolic Syndrome
indicators it may well be that you have had trouble trying to lose weight due to the chemical imbalance that exists in your body. I know I certainly did. The
solutions
page has strategies and resources to help you over that hurdle.
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