And if you are substantially overweight it is even more important that you should know about the health condition called Prediabetes. The following can be considered as at least an alert to a dangerous situation that warrants attention.
More than 57 million adults, aged 20 years and older, are estimated to have the medical condition known as prediabetes. And most of them do not know they have it, and not knowing makes it worse because it is a progressive condition that, as is suggested by its name, frequently develops over a period of time into a full form of diabetes if left untreated. And if you do not know about it, it is unlikely that you will look into treating it.
The alarming numbers cited above have been published by the National Diabetes Education Program, a conglomerate of national diabetes associations of the United States, Canada, and Great Britain, together with over 200 private and public health organizations, so they know whereof they speak.
The importance of blood sugar levels and body weight
The critical factor of prediabetes, as it is for diabetes proper, is blood sugar levels. The other factor in most cases, but not always, is being overweight. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers overweight to be when a person measures an index value of over 25 on the Body Mass Index, the BMI for short, and defines obese as having a value on the BMI of 30 or higher.
The Body Mass Index chart is a reference table showing a range of body weights and heights commonly used by doctors to classify overweight and obesity in their patients. It is readily available for anyone who wishes to check their own weight to see where they are positioned in relation to the wide range of weight and height variables of human beings. If you want to know where you are positioned on the BMI, you can find the chart with its easy to follow instructions at DiabeticFoodList Plus. Your target is to be no higher than 25, preferably at little less.
Not every overweight person will develop prediabetes, but for those who do, it is certain that their blood contains a higher level of glucose than is normal for a healthy person, although not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. But it is a condition that increases the risks of heart disease and developing type-2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association reports that research shows that the beginning of long-term damage, especially to the heart and circulatory system, may already be occurring during prediabetes.
The dangers of not knowing
Many people with prediabetes are unaware of their condition because there are no outward symptoms that can be attributed to it or alert them to its presence. The only way to know for sure is by a blood analysis that can measure the amount of glucose currently in the bloodstream, and that needs a visit to the doctor.
So what can be done?
The good news is that clinical studies have shown that the development of prediabetes can be prevented or arrested by simple lifestyle changes that most people can adopt. And if you are overweight you’ve heard of them before, dietary changes and exercise or the addition of a physical activity component to your daily routine. Doing so will help you lose weight, but now it is not just for cosmetic or aesthetic reasons, although they are very welcome no doubt, but it is to prevent a possible life threatening outcome. Certainly worth the effort on all counts.
But first see a doctor who can requisition a blood test. It is then merely a matter of attending a nearby clinic where a technician will obtain a small blood sample, painless, quick and simple, the sample is then sent to a laboratory specializing in such tests and a report will be provided to your doctor on not only blood glucose but probably also on other important blood constituents such as cholesterol and triglyceride levels, also good to know.
