This is something I’m running into more and more frequently now–unfortunately. It’s a condition called pre-diabetes, and it’s affecting millions of Baby Boomers and seniors.
In fact, 86 million Americans – more than one in three adults – have pre-diabetes, far more than the 27 million who have diabetes. And 15% – 30% of these folks will develop the full-blown disease within 5 years if nothing is done.
One quarter of folks age 65+ do go on to develop Type 2 diabetes, which doubles their overall risk for death. Complications include kidney failure, nerve damage, blindness, amputations, and increased risk of heart attack, stroke, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Pre-diabetes does not generally have any symptoms. It’s usually diagnosed as the result of a routine fasting blood sugar or hemoglobin A1-C test.
In pre-diabetes, the body begins to use insulin inefficiently (“insulin resistance”). Insulin is a hormone that’s released from the pancreas in response to eating; its purpose is to remove blood sugar (glucose) from blood and move it to cells to be used for energy. But with diabetes, although the pancreas tries to keep up with demand, eventually it is unable to make enough of the hormone to keep blood sugar levels normal.
So blood sugar levels rise, and remain elevated.
Here are the most common risk factors for pre-diabetes and diabetes:
• Being overweight or obese
• Having a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes
• Being African American, American Indian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic American/Latino heritage
• Having a prior history of gestational diabetes or birth of at least one baby weighing >9 lb
• Having high blood pressure measuring 140/90 or higher
• Having abnormal cholesterol with HDL (“good” cholesterol) 35 or lower, or triglyceride level 250 or higher
• Being physically inactive—exercising fewer than three times a week
• Polycystic ovary disease
• Obstructive sleep apnea
Changes in lifestyle can turn your numbers around so this doesn’t develop into Type 2 diabetes; here are some strategies you can use:
• Move! During exercise, muscle contractions cause an increase in the use of glucose for energy, lowering blood sugar levels for several hours. Both aerobic exercise and resistance training improve blood glucose control.
–The American Diabetes Association recommends breaking up sedentary time every 30 minutes.
– Experts further recommend 30 minutes of moderate exercise all or most days of the week; this can be broken into 10- or 15-minute increments.
• Manage your weight. A loss of just 7% of body weight will help manage blood glucose levels and increase sensitivity to insulin.
• Increase your consumption of whole fruits and vegetables, and whole grain products. The fiber in these foods takes more time to digest, helps you feel full longer and controls spikes in blood sugar.
• Eat at regular intervals, ingesting 45 – 60 grams of healthy carbohydrates per meal.
• Decrease animal fats and red meat consumption. These foods are associated with a higher risk of heart disease—more prevalent in those with diabetes.