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:
- Blood sugar levels in the fasting state should be less than 100 mg/dL.
- Prediabetes is defined as a blood sugar level of 100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
- 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
"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
An A1C test yields a percentage as
a result. The larger the proportion, the higher your blood sugar levels throughout
the previous 90 days:
- 5.7% or less is considered normal.
- 5.7–6.4% of people have prediabetes.
- 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
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
"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.
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