Prediabetes is a red flag! Hence, it is essential to act vigorously, i.e adjust your lifestyle, otherwise there is a high risk of short and medium term progression to diabetes. Prediabetes is characterised by higher than usual blood sugar levels (glycaemia), but not yet to the point of diabetes, which is still a threat. But how do you deal with prediabetes? We answer this important question in this article...

What exactly is prediabetes?

Prediabetes occurs when blood sugar levels are higher than usual, but not so high that diabetes is diagnosed. Usually, there are no visible symptoms. Instead, it causes definite tissue damage, which puts people at risk of diabetes-related complications. According to researchers, prediabetes is linked to the risk of diabetes, stroke and heart disease. The main risk with prediabetes is that your blood sugar levels rise to a level similar to that of type 2 diabetes. When this happens, you may: - feel tired; - get an unexplained weight gain; - urinate more than usual (causing unusual thirst). Prediabetes has other negative impacts; it mimics, little by little, what happens to a person with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, some side effects of diabetes can also occur in people with prediabetes.  How can we prevent the transformation of prediabetes into type 2 diabetes? Answering this question is essential to understanding the mechanism of diabetes.

Keep a healthy weight and stay fit

No medications or supplements are needed to manage your risk of type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. The best defence against prediabetes is simply to follow the basics of a healthy lifestyle. Being overweight is a major risk factor for both prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. One study found that even a small weight loss over time is enough to reduce the risk of the disease. It can even counteract prediabetes. Regular exercise also helps build muscle mass and maintain a healthy weight. This will give you more muscle tissue that you can use to test your blood sugar.

Eat healthy foods and get enough sleep

According to one specialist, eating mainly vegetables and cutting down on meat can reduce the risk of prediabetes. In addition, regulating the amount of calories you consume helps prevent weight gain and thus decreases the risk of prediabetes. Being already important to one’s overall health, some research has also shown that sleep can help reduce the risk of prediabetes.