Diabetes is an insidious disease that can occur without a person feeling anything at all, yet all the while the disease is already taking its toll.
The definition of pre-diabetes is that your blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be classed as diabetes. Pre-diabetes is therefore the precursor to Type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes in itself is not life threatening because your blood sugar levels are still within the normal range. Not all people with pre-diabetes will develop T2, but if it is left untreated there is a very high probability that the pre-diabetes will develop into T2. Pre-diabetes is therefore very serious and must be remedied asap.
Pre-diabetes is caused by lifestyle factors, primarily obesity (being overweight due to eating the wrong types of food in excess) and indolence (being inactive), but also and probably more especially due to ignorance and indifference.
T2 diabetes develops when your body is not able to effectively use or produce enough insulin. Consequently you are at increased risk of heart disease (CVD) or stroke, and possibly gangrene and or organ failure, particularly of the kidney or pancreas, which medical conditions can be life-threatening and you should therefore take immediate remedial action for it, i.e. check your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, have an ECG (under stress) to determine the condition of your heart and change your lifestyle (a low GL, salt, fat, carb and calorie diet and regular exercise.)
Some doctors prescribe Metformin for pre-diabetes as a precautionary measure, particularly for patients over 50 years old, but it is generally always prescribed for those with T2. A high blood sugar level can be normalised by taking medication (Metformin) but it can be totally eliminated without the need thereafter to be prescribed medication for it if youpermanently change your lifestyle by adopting the appropriate diet and exercise regimen.
It is important to realise that medication on its own is not a panacea for diabetes because it treats the symptoms and not the cause of the disease. Therefore you cannot merely take the medication and continue to eat incorrectly and not exercise, as so many patients do. It is essential to maintain a healthy body weight and measure your blood glucose (sugar) levels on a regular basis to monitor your health.
The risks associated with T2 and pre-diabetes will therefore depend on our lifestyle (diet and exercise regimen) and our vital health statistics (A1c, BMI, WHR and BP). The worse these become, the more at risk we become of having amputations, heart disease, organ failure and a premature death!
The definition of pre-diabetes is that your blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be classed as diabetes. Pre-diabetes is therefore the precursor to Type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes in itself is not life threatening because your blood sugar levels are still within the normal range. Not all people with pre-diabetes will develop T2, but if it is left untreated there is a very high probability that the pre-diabetes will develop into T2. Pre-diabetes is therefore very serious and must be remedied asap.
Pre-diabetes is caused by lifestyle factors, primarily obesity (being overweight due to eating the wrong types of food in excess) and indolence (being inactive), but also and probably more especially due to ignorance and indifference.
T2 diabetes develops when your body is not able to effectively use or produce enough insulin. Consequently you are at increased risk of heart disease (CVD) or stroke, and possibly gangrene and or organ failure, particularly of the kidney or pancreas, which medical conditions can be life-threatening and you should therefore take immediate remedial action for it, i.e. check your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, have an ECG (under stress) to determine the condition of your heart and change your lifestyle (a low GL, salt, fat, carb and calorie diet and regular exercise.)
Some doctors prescribe Metformin for pre-diabetes as a precautionary measure, particularly for patients over 50 years old, but it is generally always prescribed for those with T2. A high blood sugar level can be normalised by taking medication (Metformin) but it can be totally eliminated without the need thereafter to be prescribed medication for it if youpermanently change your lifestyle by adopting the appropriate diet and exercise regimen.
It is important to realise that medication on its own is not a panacea for diabetes because it treats the symptoms and not the cause of the disease. Therefore you cannot merely take the medication and continue to eat incorrectly and not exercise, as so many patients do. It is essential to maintain a healthy body weight and measure your blood glucose (sugar) levels on a regular basis to monitor your health.
The risks associated with T2 and pre-diabetes will therefore depend on our lifestyle (diet and exercise regimen) and our vital health statistics (A1c, BMI, WHR and BP). The worse these become, the more at risk we become of having amputations, heart disease, organ failure and a premature death!
