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Before people develop Type 2
Diabetes, they almost always have "pre-diabetes" -- blood
glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high
enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. There are 54 million
people in the United States who have pre-diabetes and most
don't even know it. Recent research has shown that some
long-term damage to the body, especially the heart and
circulatory system, may already be occurring during
pre-diabetes.
Research has also shown that if you take action to manage
your blood glucose when you have pre-diabetes, you can delay
or prevent Type 2 Diabetes from ever developing.
People with pre-diabetes can expect to benefit from much of
the same advice for good nutrition and physical activity. If
you take action in time you may forestall the onset of
diabetes or eliminate it all together.
There are two different tests your doctor can use to
determine whether you have pre-diabetes: the fasting plasma
glucose test (FPG) or the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
The blood glucose levels measured after these tests
determine whether you have a normal metabolism, or whether
you have pre-diabetes or diabetes. If your blood glucose
level is abnormal following the FPG, you have impaired
fasting glucose (IFG); if your blood glucose level is
abnormal following the OGTT, you have impaired glucose
tolerance (IGT).
If your FPG is below 100 you are normal; if you are in the
100-125 range you are pre diabetic; and if you are above 126
you are diabetic. A high score may indicate that you have
pre-diabetes or at risk for pre-diabetes. Take the test and
find out for sure.
Pre-diabetes is a serious medical condition that can be
treated by making changes in their diet and increasing their
level of physical activity. You may even be able to return
their blood glucose levels to the normal range.
A recent study showed that some medications may delay the
development of diabetes- diet and exercise worked better.
Just 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity, coupled
with a 5-10% reduction in body weight, produced a 58%
reduction in diabetes.
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