Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Prediabetes



Question: What is Prediabetes? What is the difference between Prediabetes and Diabetes? How do I know if I'm Prediabetic?

Answer: Prediabetes is defined as a fasting glucose of 100-125 mg/dl and/or a 2 hour post-prandial glucose (after eating) of 141-199 mg/dl. If you fall into the above category, you will likely be diagnosed with "impaired glucose tolerance", or prediabetes.

Most importantly, what can you do to prevent becoming diabetic and/or prevent becoming prediabetic? Lifestyle modification!

1) Make sure your blood pressure is well-controlled
2) Know the numbers of your triglycerides and cholesterol (lipids) and keep them within normal limits
3) Maintain a healthy weight (BMI of 18.5-25)
4) Exercise! Your goal should be to participate in moderate aerobic activity for 30 minutes per day, 5 days/week.