Prediabetes – A Wake-Up Call to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Overweight? Older than 45? Little to no exercise? Family occurrences of type 2 diabetes? These are all warning signs of prediabetes, which can be determined by a simple blood sugar test.

If you have prediabetes, there may already be signs of long-term damage to your heart, blood vessels and kidneys. The good news is that prevention and even reversal is doable through often modest lifestyle changes, including a reduction in body weight of five to seven percent.

“Through diet, exercise and, in some cases, surgical intervention for weight loss, many people with prediabetes can make lifestyle changes to prevent the onset of or even reverse type 2 diabetes,” said Erin Zepp, MS, RD, CDE, diabetes educator for Memorial Weight Loss & Wellness Center. “Prediabetes is a serious condition on its own. Committing to avoid it is an important first step.”

Zepp recommends the following for anyone who has risk factors for prediabetes:

• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat a balanced diet focused on nutritious foods.
• Add 150 minutes of physical activity a week (30 minutes, five days a week).
• Consider support from a medical professional.
• Manage stress levels and stay focused on the overall health picture.
• Treat any sleep apnea.
• Quit smoking. Tobacco use may increase insulin resistance.

Memorial Weight Loss & Wellness Center offers a diabetes prevention program approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help individuals at risk for type 2 diabetes.

Find out your risk for prediabetes by taking our risk assessment quiz.

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