Prediabetes: Symptoms and How to Reverse It?

In this phase the body already reacts less well to insulin and has more difficulty processing blood sugar. It is therefore also called impaired glucose tolerance.

Also read: Everything you need to know about diabetes

Is prediabetes dangerous?

• If prediabetes is left untreated, it can progress to type 2 diabetes: 5 to 10 percent of people with prediabetes develop diabetes each year, and in approximately 1 in 2 people, prediabetes leads to type 2 diabetes within ten years.
• When you have prediabetes, you also have a increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Prediabetes gives about 1.5 times the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction, cerebral thrombosis (CVA),…
• Prediabetes also indirectly increases the risk of cancermainly cancers of the digestive system and breast cancer.

Also read: Is there a link between obesity and breast cancer?

Symptoms of prediabetes

Prediabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Often there are few to no symptoms. If blood sugar levels have risen very high, symptoms may occur, such as:

• Increased thirst and frequent urination: When blood sugar levels are elevated, the kidneys may produce more urine, leading to more frequent urination and increased thirst.
• Fatigue: High blood sugar levels can lead to fatigue, even if you get enough sleep.
• Blurred vision: High blood sugar levels can affect your vision.

It is important to have your blood sugar levels checked regularly (via (fasting) blood sample analysis in a laboratory) if you are at risk of prediabetes, such as if you are overweight or have a family history of diabetes.

Cause of prediabetes

1 in 10 people have diabetes. In Flanders alone, this is more than 600,000 people (diabetes type 1 and type 2). 4.6% of Belgians have prediabetes.

• Age: the risk increases from the age of 40-45.
• Hereditary predisposition: There is an increased risk of diabetes in both the first degree (parents, sisters, brothers, children) and the second degree (grandparents, uncles/aunts, nephews/nieces).
• Too high blood pressure.
• Unhealthy foodwith too much fat and sugars, and too few vegetables, fruits and fibers.
• At little exercise and sitting still for too long.
• Smoking increases the risk by about 50 percent.
• Exaggerated alcohol consumption.
• Previously elevated blood glucose levels, for example during pregnancy (gestational diabetes). More than 1 in 3 women with gestational diabetes – a temporary increase in blood sugar levels during pregnancy – will develop prediabetes or diabetes within 6 years.
• Overweight or obesity, especially with a somewhat larger belly.

Prediabetes: diagnosis

There are almost no symptoms that will make you notice prediabetes. To be able to diagnose it, a doctor must measure your blood sugar levels by taking a blood sample. A finger prick is not suitable for diagnosing it.

Following persons kcan best know their diabetes risk:

– overweight people over 45 years old

– overweight people under 45 years of age who also have other diabetes risk factors such as high blood pressure, family history of diabetes, cholesterol, etc.

– If prediabetes has been diagnosed, it is best to be retested every six to twelve months.

• Fasting glucose measurement
  Your doctor will determine your blood sugar level by taking a blood sample. The test is done on an empty stomach: you may not eat for eight hours before the blood sample is taken. Water, unsweetened coffee or tea without milk do not contain calories and are permitted.
  At a value between 100-125 mg/dl one speaks of impaired fasting glycemia or 'prediabetes'.
• Determination of HbA1c
  The diagnosis can also be made by determining the HbA1c (= 'glycated' hemoglobin) in the blood. The HbA1c determination does not have to be measured under fasting conditions and is therefore a suitable alternative to the fasting glycemia determination when remaining fasting is difficult to achieve. More than 6.5% or 48 mmol/mol indicates diabetes. This method is currently not reimbursed in our country for those who do not yet have diabetes.

Also read: Diabetes: blood tests will soon no longer be necessary

Reversing Prediabetes

If you intervene in time by adjusting your lifestyle, you can reverse prediabetes in about half of the cases.

You do this by:

1. Healthy and varied food: For example, apply the principles of the food triangle. Especially the intake of sufficient fibers and vegetables and fruit, limiting the fat and saturated fat intake and limiting fast sugars and the total energy intake, are important to keep the risk of diabetes as low as possible.
2. Exercise regularly and sit less: 30 minutes of exercise per day reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes by 30 percent. Try to exercise at least 5 days per week, for at least 30 minutes (this can be spread out over the day, with a minimum of 10 minutes at a time) at a moderate intensity (activities that make you breathe a little faster and deeper than normal, e.g. cycling, brisk walking, swimming, etc.).
   To prevent diabetes, every step counts. You can easily incorporate sufficient exercise into your daily activities. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, get off the bus one stop earlier or later, park the car a little further away, walk to go shopping.
   Reducing your sedentary time provides an additional 10 percent reduction in your diabetes risk.
3. Quit smoking: A smoker has a 50 percent higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes. Smoking also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
4. If you are overweight, lose a few kilos: If you are overweight, a 5 percent drop in body weight will reduce your diabetes risk by as much as 30 percent. The risk of cardiovascular disease also decreases.

Prediabetes: treatment with medication

Also read: When is your cholesterol too high?

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