One out of every three adults in the United States has prediabetes. What’s even more devastating is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 90% of them do not know that they have it. That’s 75.7 million people that could be making lifestyle changes now to prevent developing type II diabetes, as well as heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure.
Prediabetes is defined as having higher than normal levels of blood sugar in the body, but not quite high enough to be considered diabetic. There are many risk factors for developing prediabetes. Some of these include, but are not limited to, being overweight, being over 45 years of age, having a parent or sibling with type II diabetes, doing less than three days per week of moderate exercise, eating an unhealthy diet, or even having gestational diabetes while pregnant. Symptoms of prediabetes can include: excessive thirst, frequent urination, blurry vision, large belly circumference (>40” in males and >35” in females), and fatigue. Although, someone with prediabetes may not have any symptoms at all.
Find out now, in less than a minute, if you are at risk for prediabetes by taking the Prediabetes Risk Test: https://www.cdc.gov/prediabetes/takethetest/
If you’re concerned that you may be prediabetic, your doctor can do a blood sugar test to determine if you have prediabetes.
The good news is that prediabetes can be reversed with lifestyle changes! If you are overweight, even just losing 5-10% of your body weight can bring your glucose back into a healthy range. We all know it can be difficult to make time for exercise, but it is important. Try to get at least 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week. This can be broken up into smaller bursts of exercise during the day to fit your schedule. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less processed foods. Check out my upcoming blog for more strategies on diabetes prevention!!
If you are wondering about your risk for diabetes and heart disease, come get a free wellness screen from your local Community Health Worker at Tri-County Health Network! The screen only takes about 30 minutes, and you leave with results for cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, and optional A1C. These are great test results to take with you to your next doctor’s appointment. Call TCHNetwork today to schedule your free wellness screening at 970-708-7096.
For further helpful information about diabetes visit: https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/index.html
-Ruth Homan, Community Health Worker Telluride
