pre-diabetes

Hello , having your bloods checked again soon is a good thing , it will confirm more information ...
Yes it is a shock ...
Sometimes blood tests will tell you , that you are pre diabtic followed by a second one which as mine did came back as normal , then a year later diabebtic readings ....best try and stay on top of things , have a Google and read , you need more tests yet ...
Diet is always a good starting point ...but I was veggie , fruit and veg diet ...so not slways your diet that is the cause ...
Keep reading information and have that second blood test ...you don't have to leave it a month ....best wishes ...Kat

Hi. Yes, keep up the good diet which has to mean low carbs if it is to be healthy for a diabetic. Some forms of diabetes can't be delayed or prevented by diet alone so get the bloods done again and if you can afford it get hold of your own meter and test every week or so 2 hours after a meal to see if there is any trend

Hi welcome, yes low-carb is the best route to nipping this in the bud and maybe preventing it altogether.

Have a read of the top link in my sig below. NHS diet recommendations are no help to diabetics.

Hi @shirl69 and welcome.

@daisy1 will be along soon to give you the basic guide for newbies. Treat yourself as a diabetic and you may be able to stave off a diagnosis.

Hello @shirl69 and welcome to the forum

Here is the information we give to new members and if you follow the advice it might help you not to develop full diabetes. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 130,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

shirl69 said:

hi, been to doctors to-day and been told i have prediabetes .he just told me to eat a healthy diet and exercise more.then get my bloods done in one months time.i thought i ate quite healthy and not over weight. i was shocked does it go away changing diet,i eat plenty of fruit and veg and only brown bread is there something else i can do.

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Hi and welcome. Your doctor's advice is normal but not helpful if you want to control your blood sugar. It doesn't go away as you put it, but you can take charge and feel well. @daisy1's introduction above will tell you how to change your diet and get a meter.

Good work. Let us know how you get on. Ask lots of questions, particularly about diet, which can seem confusing at first.