6 Early Signs You May Possibly Have Prediabetes

Prediabetes Signs and Symptoms

Prediabetes, a precursor to diabetes, affects more than one-third of Americans. The signs and symptoms that your blood sugar may be high are listed below.

Prediabetes may not seem as frightening as diabetes. Your blood sugar levels are increased, but not to the point where you're diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. At this point, you may not even require medication to assist lower your blood sugar. However, unless you make significant lifestyle and dietary adjustments, you may find yourself in the diabetic range sooner than you expect.

Indeed, just because you have prediabetes doesn't mean you can disregard your elevated blood sugar levels. Consider a prediabetes diagnosis as a wake-up call to assist your body to prevent a slew of health problems and difficulties.

The good news is that the lifestyle changes for people with prediabetes and those who want to get healthier are similar, so you probably already know what they are: get more physical activity in your day; eat a clean diet rich in protein, fiber, fresh fruits, and vegetables; maintain a low-stress level; limit sugar and refined carbohydrate intake, and get enough sleep.

Fortunately, these strategies can help persons with prediabetes not only lower blood sugar levels but also set them up for a healthier lifestyle and stop the progression toward diabetes.

What Is Prediabetes, and How Does It Affect You?

WHAT SETS IT APART FROM DIABETES?

Prediabetes is a condition that precedes diabetes. It is a condition in which your blood sugar is increased but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Prediabetes affects one in every three persons in the United States.

The meals you eat produce blood sugar, which is also known as blood glucose. High-carb foods, such as white bread and sugar, cause blood glucose levels to surge more quickly than low-carb items, such as meat or fresh produce. Blood glucose levels that are too high might cause inflammation and harm to your body over time.

Fasting blood sugar levels can also assist doctors in determining whether or not a patient has prediabetes:

1. Blood sugar levels in the fasting state should be less than 100 mg/dL.
2. Prediabetes is defined as a blood sugar level of 100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
3. A blood sugar level of 126 mg/dL or higher indicates diabetes.

Dr. William Li, a world-acclaimed medical doctor, researcher, president/founder of Angiogenesis Foundation, and author of The New York Times bestseller Eat To Beat Disease, says, "Diabetes is a serious endocrine disease with complications involving many organs of the body, all linked by poor control of blood sugar."

Prediabetes: What Causes It?

Insulin is a hormone that aids in the absorption of glucose in the bloodstream by your cells. Glucose is a vital nutrient for your body. It gives your cells energy and helps them to function regularly.

"In a healthy person, insulin rises and falls in response to the needs of the body," Dr. Li explains.

Cells can't get the glucose they require if your body has too little insulin, which is what happens in people with type 1 diabetes. Without their energy supply, the cells will suffer.

The issue with type 2 diabetes isn't a lack of insulin. It's the cells' failure to respond to insulin adequately that's the problem.

"Insulin resistance is the early stage of diabetes, and it occurs during prediabetes. Although the actual cause of insulin resistance is unknown, it has been related to inactivity, smoking, obesity, age, and a poor diet "he declares

Some people are unaware that they have prediabetes until they develop diabetes. A yearly physical and blood test, on the other hand, can help you and your health care physician keep track of your blood glucose levels and spot any potential problems.

Pre-Diabetes Signs and Symptoms

Precisely like diabetes, the most common indications and symptoms of prediabetes are similar. Make an appointment to consult with a health care practitioner if you believe you have two or more prediabetes symptoms. A few basic tests can help you figure out what your blood sugar levels are and whether you need to take action to improve them.

1. Your A1C level is higher than normal.

The A1C blood test sometimes referred to as the hemoglobin A1C or HbA1c test, is a normal blood test that examines your blood sugar levels over the previous three months. The test is used to track your risk of developing prediabetes or diabetes on a regular basis.

An A1C test yields a percentage as a result. The larger the proportion, the higher your blood sugar levels throughout the previous 90 days:

1. 5.7% or less is considered normal.
2. 5.7–6.4% of people have prediabetes.
3. Diabetes is defined as a percentage of the population with a blood sugar level of more than

If you have prediabetes or diabetes, your doctor will check your A1C level multiple times a year to see how well the disease is managed.

2. You're often thirsty.

A high level of thirst could indicate the presence of prediabetes.

Excess blood sugar remains in the bloodstream unused, forcing the kidneys to try to eliminate it. Because water can dilute blood sugar, when your body detects a rise in blood sugar, it can send a signal to your brain to seek a bottle of water.

"When you have high blood sugar from prediabetes, you want to consume extra fluid to help dilute the sugar concentration in your body," Dr. Li explains. What happened as a result of all that water? More urination.

"People with prediabetes have frequent urination, known as polyuria," he continues, "and as a result, the body tries to restore the lost fluid, which activates the brain's thirst centers." As a result, you'll begin to drink more fluids than usual. Polydipsia patients can consume up to six liters of water every day, which is a lot.

3. You have a fuzzy vision at times.

When blood glucose levels are high, as they are in patients with prediabetes, glucose can build up in the lens of the eye, causing visual problems.

"As light cannot move as easily from the front of the eye to the rear, where visual signals are received by the brain," Dr. Li continues, "the accumulation in the lens of the eye may end up causing hazy vision."

4. Regularly urination.

You might notice certain changes in your kidney function and urine production in addition to drinking more fluids due to excessive thirst.

"High blood sugar from prediabetes can impair kidney function, which filters water from your blood and transports it to your bladder," Dr. Li explains. You may feel the need to pee more frequently than usual if your kidneys aren't functioning properly.

"High blood sugar in the urine can cause the kidneys to pull so much fluid out of the blood, resulting in more urine being created and delivered to the bladder where it is stored," he explains, adding that it is often a sign of prediabetes: "After full-blown diabetes occurs, the actual filtering mechanism of the kidney can be damaged, and then the filtration system itself begins to fail, resulting in more water being lost as urine."

5. You are constantly hungry.

When you have prediabetes, your body doesn't absorb blood sugar as well as it should, so you don't obtain as much energy from each snack or meal as you used to.

"As a result, you'll feel particularly hungry and desire to eat even more," Dr. Li explains. "A lack of nutrient energy prompts the brain to signal to eat more in order to ingest more energy-containing foods; however, if the cells can't efficiently extract that energy, hunger persists even after a large meal," he explains.

Reversing the vicious cycle of prediabetes is the most effective strategy to combat it. Regular exercise, a nutritious diet, less stress, more sleep, and a better sense of well-being can help you overcome prediabetes and restore your cells' ability to absorb blood sugar. Polyphagia's cycle is broken as a result of this (eating frequently).

6. You're more unusually tired than normal.

Many things can make you tired. Because life can be hectic and demanding, it's typical to feel exhausted.

Prediabetes, on the other hand, causes inefficient blood sugar use, which results in decreased energy and weariness. For energy, cells rely on glucose, which is taken from the blood. Your body will struggle to deliver the fuel you require if you don't consume that glucose.

"A well-energized cell helps muscles and organs work, but a lack of energy caused by prediabetes causes cells to function badly, resulting in weariness," he explains.