Justine Fierman: Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes by Treating Prediabetes First | Health News

According to the 2020 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Diabetes Statistics Report, a total of 34.2 million people have diabetes as of 2018 (10.5% of the US population, of which 26.9 million have been diagnosed with diabetes. 21.4% have not been diagnosed (7.3 million).

Diabetes is an epidemic rate, increasing by 800% since 1960. More importantly, one in three people (88 million people over the age of 18) have prediabetes, and almost 90% of them are unaware that they have diabetes. One-third of pre-diabetic patients develop type 2 diabetes. To prevent type 2 diabetes, you need to know if you have prediabetes and treat it first.

Prediabetes develops before a person develops type 2 diabetes. With prediabetes, blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered diabetic.

People with pre-diabetes may actually be in that condition for years and not know it. There are no definite symptoms of prediabetes, so it is important to know if you should be tested for prediabetes. There are many factors involved in the development of prediabetes that you can control. You are more likely to have prediabetes if:

• If you have diabetic parents, siblings, or sisters.

• If you are over 45 years old.

• For Blacks, Hispanics / Latinos, American Indians, Asian Americans, or Pacific Islands.

• If you are overweight.

• If you are physically inactive.

• If you have high blood pressure or are taking medications for high blood pressure.

• Low HDL cholesterol and / or high triglycerides.

• If you have diabetes during pregnancy.

• If you are diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Blood sugar levels help people determine if they have prediabetes or diabetes. Normal fasting blood glucose is less than 100. If your fasting blood glucose is between 100 and 125, this is called prediabetes. If your fasting blood glucose is 126 or higher, this is positive for type 2 diabetes.

When a person develops prediabetes, they are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. If you develop prediabetes, you may have type 2 diabetes soon or in the near future. It also increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. The good news is that you can treat prediabetes and prevent type 2 diabetes.

Healthy choices that can be maintained over the long term have the greatest impact on preventing the progression of prediabetes to the development of type 2 diabetes. A study of a diabetes prevention program showed that 30 minutes of physical activity per day and 5-10% weight loss reduced the incidence of diabetes by 58%.

Focusing on family health is important in the treatment of prediabetes and the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

Methods of managing prediabetes include eating breakfast daily. This helps your body “break” the “fasting” that was all night while you were sleeping and tells your body that you are awake and ready for the day. .. By doing this, it tells the liver to stop the production of excess sugar, which can lead to prediabetes and the development of diabetes. Eat a balanced diet with half of the plate from vegetables, a quarter of the plate from protein (lean meat), and a quarter of the plate from starch / carbohydrates.

Avoid sweet drinks and light meals. One cup of sweet drinks a day can increase your risk of diabetes by 15%, and drinking sweet drinks twice a day can increase your risk by 26%. Choose foods that are low in calories, high in fiber, and low in saturated fat.

Avoid empty, high-calorie packaged foods. When eating at home, practice potion control and use small plates. When eating out at a restaurant, ask for a takeaway container when you have a meal, immediately package half of it, take it home, and eat the next day.

Regular exercise is important to reduce the risk of developing prediabetes and diabetes. Please choose what you like. Doing a little is better than not exercising at all.

Walking is a great way to start exercising slowly. It is important to plan your day’s exercise so that you stick to your exercise routine. You can also reduce your risk of developing diabetes by quitting smoking.

It is important that people learn about the risk of prediabetes, are regularly screened, and take the necessary steps to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes.

People with high scores (5 or higher) on the online risk test are at a much higher risk of developing prediabetes. However, only a blood test can determine the official diagnosis. Talk to your doctor about pre-diabetes and the risk of diabetes.

Justine Fierman is a 22-year experienced family nurse practitioner, accredited by the Board of Advanced Diabetes Management, and a Certified Diabetes Care Instructor (now known as a Certified Diabetes Education and Care Specialist). But there is also. She is a private practitioner and cares for diabetics over the age of 18 at Intervale’s Miranda Diabetes Care Center. She believes that “diabetes is a lifelong journey that follows the various paths that a person can get off.” She sees the role of the team as helping people travel to achieve the best results with minimal obstacles. For information or reservations for Justine Fierman, please contact (603) 730-5125.