Prediabetes (Part2)
How Is Prediabetes Diagnosed?
To determine if you have prediabetes, your doctor can perform two different blood tests – the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
During the FPG blood test your blood sugar level is measured after an 8 hour fast. This laboratory health screening can determine if your body metabolizes glucose correctly. If your blood sugar level is abnormal after the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test, you could have what"s called ‘impaired fasting glucose,’ which suggests prediabetes.
Understanding the FPG Test Results
|
Condition |
FPG |
|
Normal |
Less than 100 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter) |
|
Prediabetes |
100 mg/dL - 125 mg/dL |
|
Diabetes |
Greater than 126 mg/dL on two or more tests |
The other laboratory health screening test your doctor can perform is the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). During this test, your blood sugar is measured after a fast and then again 2 hours after drinking a beverage containing a large amount of glucose. Two hours after the glucose beverage, if your glucose is higher than normal, you have what"s called ‘impaired glucose tolerance,’ which suggests prediabetes.
Understanding the OGTT Test Results
|
Condition |
OGTT |
|
Normal |
Less than 140 mg/dL |
|
Prediabetes |
140 mg/dL to 199 mg/dL |
|
Diabetes |
Greater than 200 mg/dL |
Why Is It Important to Recognize and Treat Prediabetes?
By identifying the signs of prediabetes before diabetes occurs, you can prevent type 2 diabetes altogether and lower your risk of complications associated with this condition, such as heart disease.
A large 3-year medical study in patients at risk of developing type 2 diabetes found that lifestyle changes with exercise and mild weight loss, and treatment with medications that work to sensitize a person to the actions of insulin, can decrease the chance that a person with prediabetes will get type 2 diabetes by up to 60%.
Changing a person"s lifestyle habits with increased physical activities and mild weight loss was more effective than medications at reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. For some people with prediabetes, intervening early can actually return elevated blood sugar levels to the normal, healthy range.
What"s the Treatment for Prediabetes?
To successfully treat prediabetes:
• Eat a heart healthy diet and lose weight. A 5% to 10% weight loss can make a huge difference.
• Exercise. Try to exercise 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. The activity can be split into several short periods: 3 sessions of 10 minutes. Select an activity that you enjoy such as walking. In the study mentioned above, the total amount of exercise per week was 150 minutes.
• Stop smoking.
• Treat high blood pressure and high cholesterol.