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Symptoms of Pre-Diabetes and Insulin Resistance
Pre-diabetes, borderline diabetes or insulin resistance is a condition that raises a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. What are the symptoms of pre-diabetes?
The "diabetes clock" starts ticking in women years in advance of a medical diagnosis of the disease. Pre-diabetes is diagnosed when blood sugar levels are higher than normal (between 100-125 mg/deciliter of blood), but not high enough to indicate full-blown diabetes (over 125 mg/deciliter of blood).
Glucose is the main form of sugar found in the body and is a key source of energy for the body. The pancreas makes insulin to help control blood glucose levels in the body. But some people become resistant to the effects of insulin. As a result, glucose builds up in the body. Research shows that these higher-than-normal levels of glucose in the blood cause long-term damage to your body, especially the heart.
If you have insulin resistance, your muscle, fat, and liver cells do not use insulin properly. The pancreas tries to keep up with the demand for insulin by producing more. Eventually, the pancreas cannot keep up with the body's need for insulin, and excess glucose builds up in the bloodstream. People with insulin resistance have both high levels of blood glucose and high levels of insulin circulating in their blood at the same time.
"It’s the equivalent of driving your car by slamming your foot onto the pedal, using the brake, slamming the pedal, using the brake... you ultimately will find yourself with no brakes and whiplash, which is not unlike the situation a new diabetic encounters," according to Dr. Alan Kadish, ND of Medford, OR.
What are the signs and symptoms of pre-diabetes?
Symptoms of Pre Diabetes
People with pre-diabetes often don't have symptoms. In fact, many people in the U.S. have diabetes and pre-diabetes without knowing. Symptoms, if there are any, develop so gradually that people often do not recognize them. An elevated blood glucose level is the only symptom of pre-diabetes.
High risk groups include African Americans; Hispanic and Latino Americans; American Indians and Alaska Natives; Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; and adults aged 60 and older.
About 54 million people currently have the condition, which is marked by blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet diabetic. Most people with pre-diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years.
Every 25 seconds, someone in America is diagnosed with diabetes. By identifying people with pre-diabetes, we can encourage them to take preventive measures such as losing weight, becoming physically active and eating a healthy diet, to help keep diabetes and other serious health problems at bay.
Type 2 diabetes is strongly associated with overweight and obesity. Losing 5 to 7 percent of body weight through diet and increased physical activity can prevent or delay pre-diabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes.
Impaired glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose
• Pre-diabetes is a term used to distinguish people who are at increased risk of developing diabetes. It means that the cells in your body are becoming resistant to insulin and your blood glucose levels are higher than they should be. People with pre-diabetes have impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Some people may have both IFG and IGT.
• IFG is a condition in which the fasting blood sugar level is elevated (100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter or mg/dL) after an overnight fast but is not high enough to be classified as diabetes.
• IGT is a condition in which the blood sugar level is elevated (140 to 199 mg/dL) after a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test, but is not high enough to be classified as diabetes.
• Progression to diabetes among those with pre-diabetes is not inevitable. Studies suggest that weight loss and increased physical activity among people with pre diabetes prevent or delay diabetes and may return blood glucose levels to normal.
• People with pre-diabetes are already at increased risk for other adverse health conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
Prevention of Diabetes
Research studies have found that lifestyle changes can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes among high-risk adults. These studies included people with IGT and other high-risk characteristics for developing diabetes. Lifestyle interventions included diet and moderate-intensity physical activity (such as walking for 2 1/2 hours each week). In the Diabetes Prevention Program, a large prevention study of people at high risk for diabetes, the development of diabetes was reduced 58% over 3 years.
Studies show that people at high risk for type 2 diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of the disease by losing 5 to 7 percent of their body weight. You can do it by eating healthier and getting 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week. In other words: you don't have to knock yourself out to prevent diabetes. The key is: small steps that lead to big rewards.
• Lose a modest amount of weight. Experts recommend that most people lose 5 to 10 percent of their total body weight. Even a loss of just 10 to 15 pounds can make a big difference.
• Increase the level of physical activity. Moderate exercise, such as walking, for 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week can help lower blood glucose levels and can help with weight loss.
• Follow healthy eating habits. This will help lower heart disease risk factors and will make it easier to lose weight.
Liquid Candy
Remember this, the food and beverage industries are not your friend. They do not want you lose weight. They are only interested in profit and want you to buy more of their products. This is why they introduced “Liquid Candy” to many products you find at the grocery store. Liquid Candy is listed on food products as high fructose corn syrup. This evil substance is much deadlier than sugar and is your biggest enemy if you are trying to lose weight and avoid diabetes.
It is getting difficult to find a food product at the grocery store or McDonalds that is not loaded with HFCS. One 20-ounce bottle of Coke, Pepsi, Mt Dew, Sprite or Dr. Pepper is the equivalent of pouring 17 teaspoons of sugar straight into your body. HFCS is the leading ingredient after carbonated water in these beverages. Women who drink at least one regular soda a day are 85 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who drink less. It also leads to tooth decay.
High Fructose Corn Syrup is found in fruit drinks like Capri Sun, Sunny Delight, Snapple, Hawaiian Punch, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice and in most energy drinks. It is also found in chocolate drinks like Yoohoo, Arizona Tea, SoBe Beverages, cookies, ice cream, Campbell soup, Heinz Ketchup, Ragu, Aunt Jemima Syrup, Hershey's Syrup, Breyers Yogurt, Kraft Barbecue Sauce, Smucker's Preserves and some breakfast cereals.
People who use HFCS as a sweetener increase their triglycerides 32 percent relative to people who use mostly sugar, according to University of Minnesota professor John Bantle. The body metabolizes high fructose corn syrup differently than sugar. It blunts the body's ability to recognize when it is full and increases a person's appetite.
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