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Prediabetes… a Window of Opportunity
Published 7:28am Thursday, May 10, 2012What is Pre-diabetes?
Across the globe, about 285 million people currently
live with the diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. That equates
to 1 in every 15 people, so it’s probable that we all know
someone – ourselves, a relative, or friend who has the
disease. Up until recently, the focus of the medical field
has been on managing the disease, but now more
attention is turning toward preventing and delayingthe
diagnosis. In a world filled with so many hopeless
diseases, this is exciting news! But it is going to require
some serious effort.
Diabetes is diagnosed when a patient’s fasting blood
glucose value is above 126 mg/dl (normal range being 70-
100 mg/dl). But what about people who fall in between
100 and 126 mg/dl? “Prediabetes” is a relatively new term
being recognized by physicians and dietitians, and is
given to people whose blood glucose falls into this
category. Currently it affects an astounding 79 million
people (1 of every 3 adults) in this country alone, yet only
7% of people with prediabetes are aware of their
diagnosis. Unfortunately, people with prediabetes have a
5 to 15-fold higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than
those with normal blood glucose levels, in addition to a
higher risk for coronary artery disease and stroke.
Now that the bad news is out, the good news is that
this middle-of-the-road diagnosis can be seen as a red
flag, a second chance, or a window of opportunity to
make some major lifestyle changes that could drastically
change your life’s path. So what needs to be
done to stop diabetes in its tracks?
The Diabetes Prevention Program
Ten years ago, a large study called the Diabetes
Prevention Program (DPP) was designed to see if
intensive lifestyle changes could prevent or delay the
onset of type 2 diabetes. All of the people in the study
had prediabetes and were overweight. The participants in
the study were divided into 3 different interventions:
1) intensive lifestyle changes, 2) standard diet with
metformin (a medication used to treat diabetes),
and 3) standard diet with placebo. The intensive lifestyle
changes of the first group included a 16-week program
with weekly one-hour sessions covering topics such as
food label reading, dealing with stress without
overeating, and participating in 150 minutes of
weekly physical activity. At the end of the study, the
intensive lifestyle change group showed the greatest
reduction, decreasing their risk of developing type 2
diabetes by 58%, in addition to losing an average of 5%
body weight.
A second follow-up study, the Diabetes Prevention
Program Outcome Study, also found that with a little bit
of weight loss (about 5 to 7%) and increased physical
activity, diabetes can be delayed or in some cases
altogether prevented. The take-home point from these
studies is that making some small, but diligent and
intentional lifestyle changes could lead to some big, life-
altering results! By preventing diabetes, you are also
lowering your risk of other complications such as heart
disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and nerve
damage.
Prediabetes…
BY KATRINA MOUSER, RDa Window of Opportunity
