Prediabetes AKA Insulin Resistance, Linked to Metabolic Syndrome
Prediabetes can be called many different things such as insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, and impaired fasting glucose. They all boil down to a warning sign that you body is beginning to resist insulin and your blood glucose levels are starting to become higher than they should be. Whatever name you decide to call it doesn’t matter, but it does show us that type 2 diabetes develops slowly and this may mean that it can be avoided. Since your body develops into this state of being insulin resistant, what are the signs and how do we avoid it?
Type 2 diabetes
develops slowly and this may mean that it can be avoided. Since your body develops into this state of being insulin resistant, what are the signs and how do we avoid it?
What is Prediabetes/Insulin Resistance?
It’s a condition where the body produces insulin but does not use it properly. The hormone, insulin, is made in the pancreas and helps the body use glucose for energy. Glucose is a form of sugar that is the main source of energy for the body.
When the body digests food down into glucose, it then travels through the bloodstream to get to all the cells throughout the body. After you eat a meal the blood glucose levels rise, so the pancreas releases insulin to help the cells use the glucose.
When a person’s body becomes resistant it seems that their muscles, fat, and liver cells are confused and not able to respond properly to insulin. As a result the body sends a message to the pancreas that it needs more insulin, so the pancreas tries to keep up and produces more. Eventually, the pancreas fails miserably and excessive amounts of blood glucose builds up in the bloodstream setting things up for diabetes. Many people with this case have both high levels of glucose and insulin running through the bloodstream at the same time.
All of this will increase a person’s chances of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Learning about exercise, eating a
healthy diet,
and
natural supplements
to fill in the nutritional gaps can help you avoid these and other health problems.
Signs of Metabolic Syndrome
1) Waist measurement of 40 inches or more in men and 35 inches or more in women
2) Triglyceride levels of 150 mg per deciliter (mg/dL) or above, or taking medications for them
3) HDL or “good” cholesterol level below 40 mg/dL for men and below 50 mg/dL for women, or taking medication for them
4) Blood pressure levels of 130/85 or above, or taking medication for it
5) Fasting blood glucose levels or 100 mg/dL or above, or taking medication for it
*If you fall into three of these categories chances are greatly increased that you are at risk of having heart disease, stroke, or diabetes.
Prediabetes, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, and impaired fasting glucose are the many names of the condition where your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. Many times there are little to no warning signs of this stage and according to statistics from the
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC)
website there are 57 million American adults that have it and are not aware of it.
Normal Fasting BG = 70-99 mg/dl - BG 2 hours after eating = <140 mg/dl
People at higher risk of developing pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes are:
- Those overweight, especially in the abdominal area
- Those with a family history of diabetes
- Women who have had gestational diabetes
- People with steroid induced hyperglycemia
- Or those with hypertension or an abnormal lipid profile
Treatment and Prevention of Prediabetes
- Exercise – Try to do this for 30 minutes a day, three to five days a week.
- Stop smoking
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet with more fruits and vegetables in it
- Natural supplements to fill in the nutritional gaps
