You could have prediabetes, but you may not know it. More than one in three adults in the United States has prediabetes.
Prediabetes means that your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. Glucose comes from the foods you eat. Too much glucose in your blood can damage your body over time. If you have prediabetes, you are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. But if you make some lifestyle changes now, you may be able to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes typically occurs without showing any symptoms or warning signs. However, it helps to know if you do have prediabetes so you can stop it in its tracks.
Sometimes the symptoms of prediabetes can go away if you take better care of your health, but they can come back if you fall back into an unhealthy lifestyle. It’s important to be aware of prediabetes, especially if you’re over 45 years of age. You’re also at risk for developing prediabetes if you have any of these medical issues:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes in your family
- Gestational diabetes while you were pregnant
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Overweight
- Sedentary lifestyle
Prediabetes doesn’t usually have any signs or symptoms. One possible sign of prediabetes is darkened skin on certain parts of the body. Affected areas can include: the neck, armpits, elbows, knees and knuckles.
See your doctor if you notice any prediabetes signs or symptoms & ask your doctor about blood sugar screening, if you have any risk factors for diabetes.
