Tingling, burning, numbness in your feet? It can be a sign of prediabetes

If you are regularly experiencing tingling burning numbness and pain in your feet you may be prediabetic a sign that your bodyrsquos insulin levels are rising said Dr Sudhir Kumar a Hyderabadbased neurologist on SaturdayPrediabetes can be defined as the presence of higherthannormal blood sugar levels and a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetesDiabetes known to increase the risk of heart attack stroke and other serious illnesses is ldquotaken seriously however prediabetes is not given the seriousness it deservesrdquo Dr Sudhir a neurologist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals saidData show that about 136 million people in India or 153 per cent of the population of the country are prediabetic a stage which can act as a wakeup call and prevent diabetesldquoPeople with prediabetes also have a higher risk of stroke heart attack peripheral neuropathy damage of nerves and retinopathy which can lead to vision impairmentrdquo Dr Sudhir saidOne can easily gauge their diabetes levels using a simple blood test called the HbA1C The haemoglobin A1c glycated haemoglobin glycosylated haemoglobin HbA1c or A1c test is used to evaluate a persons level of glucose controlIt shows an average of the blood sugar level over the past 90 days and represents a percentage For many people the diabetes monitoring test HbA1C may show 6 per cent and is usually considered normalHowever it is not said the doctor ldquoGlycosylated haemoglobin HbA1C of 6 per cent is not normalrdquo Dr Sudhir saidldquoAn HbA1C of greater than 57 is referred to as prediabetes More than 10 per cent of patients with prediabetes can have tingling burning numbness and pain of feet a condition referred to as prediabetic neuropathyldquoFor an HbA1c test to classify as normal or in the nondiabetic range the value must be below 57 per cent Anyone with an HbA1c value of 57 per cent to 64 per cent is considered to be prediabetic while diabetes can be diagnosed with an HbA1c of 65 per cent or higherrdquo he explainedThe doctor however cautioned that the target of HbA1C below 57 per cent is ldquorecommended only for healthy people or people with diabetesprediabetes who are not on medicationsrdquoFor those taking antidiabetic medications ldquothe ideal HbA1C level is 65 per centrdquo ldquoThis is because stricter control in people taking antidiabetic medications may lead to hypoglycemia low blood sugar which can cause severe complicationsrdquo he explainedThe key to lowering the HbA1C levels is via ldquocarbohydrate restriction in the dietrdquoldquoThis can be achieved by avoiding or restricting sugar jaggery honey etc Sugarsweetened beverages soft drinks packed fruit juices and sweets should be avoidedrdquo the doctor saidHe also advised minimising the ldquointake of rice roti idli dosa potatoes and fruitsrdquo and suggested a combination of aerobic exercises and strength trainingThis 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