Prediabetes can raise risk of diabetes by 70 per cent, say experts

Prediabetes is the most lsquooverlookedrsquo health condition which if not reversed in time can raise the risk of diabetes by 70 per cent said experts on WednesdayPrediabetes is a serious condition that occurs when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be considered Type 2 diabetesThe condition affects more than 130 million individuals in India and over 700 million people worldwide Like diabetes it can lead to lifethreatening complications like a heart attack or brain strokeldquoPrediabetes puts you at a greater risk of developing diabetes If both fasting and postglucose levels are high the risk is the highest The level of HbA1c determines the risk for diabetes with the fiveyear risk being 50 per cent if the HbA1c is more than 6 per cent and 25 per cent if it is between 57 and 6 per centrdquo Dr Ambrish Mithal Chairman Endocrinology and Diabetes Max Healthcare told IANS The HbA1c test is used to evaluate a persons level of glucose controlldquoThe lifetime risk of developing diabetes if you have prediabetes is 70 per cent or greaterrdquo he addedPrediabetes can be considered a warning sign by your body that your insulin levels are significantly rising or the insulin is not working properly at a cellular level often this is called ldquoInsulin resistancerdquo and is accompanied by abdominal obesityBesides heartrelated conditions it can also lead to other complications like high blood pressure kidney diseases fatty liver disease nerve damage blood vessel damage and even vision problems in some casesDr Shashank Joshi Endocrinologist at Lilavati Hospital Mumbai calls it ldquoa wakeup call from your body that certain habits are damaging your blood vessels and can lead to complications like heart attack or brain strokerdquoldquoIf left untreated it can negatively impact your overall wellbeing Even if you are not diagnosed with type 2 diabetes it can still cause serious health issues such as severe damage to the kidneys heart nerves and blood vesselsrdquo he told IANSAlso Read Beat the stress Experts share ways to regulate the stress hormone cortisolBut can it be stopped in its tracksldquoYes it is possible to reverse or get remission of the onset of prediabetes by early detection and certain lifestyle adjustmentsrdquo said Dr JoshiDr Mithal said ldquoprediabetes can also be interpreted as lsquoprevent diabetesrsquordquoldquoOne can reverse prediabetes to normal or at least remain in the prediabetes range for a prolonged period of time without converting to diabetes Up to 50 per cent cases of Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed if intervention is introduced at the right time About five to seven per cent weight loss goes a long way in improving glucose levels and reducing associated risksrdquo he told IANSEarly detection also plays a key role in reversing the conditionldquoEveryone living in India must check glucose especially above 25 if they have a family history of diabetes or their waist circumference is above 90 cm for men and 80 cm for women at least once in three years till age 40 and then every year Ideally both fasting and 2 hours postmeal glucose must be checked apart from 3 monthly average glucose namely Glycosylated haemoglobinrdquo Dr Joshi saidldquoIf prediabetes is diagnosed adopt simple lifestyle measures under expert medical supervision This includes eating less eating on time eating right moving or walking more sleeping well and stopping smoking tobacco and alcoholrdquo the doctor saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever