Symptoms of pre-diabetes may develop so gradually, if at all, that most people are not aware they have the condition. Symptoms of diabetes include unusual thirst, increased need to urinate, blurred vision and unexplained fatigue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 79 million American adults have pre-diabetes. The lifetime risk of developing diabetes for people born in the year 2000 is one in three for men and two in five for women.
People with pre-diabetes are five to 15 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than are those with normal glucose levels. Fortunately, the progression to diabetes can be delayed or reversed through weight loss, exercise and medication. Studies have shown that a modest weight loss of at least 5 percent of total body weight coupled with 30-minute daily moderate exercise can delay or prevent the onset of diabetes, and in some cases even return blood glucose levels to normal.
A medication called metformin (Glucophage) also may be effective in delaying the onset of diabetes, but not to the extent of diet and exercise. Lifestyle intervention strategies such as moderate weight loss and regular exercise have reduced the risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent, while medical intervention slowed down the progression of diabetes by about 30 percent.
Pre-diabetes is a serious medical condition that requires treatment because studies have shown it may cause some long-term damage to the heart and circulatory system. To learn more about pre-diabetes, take the free, online type 2 diabetes risk assessment available on the Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake website at DoctorsHospitalDallas.com/DiabetesRisk.
Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake
9400 Poppy Drive
Dallas, TX 75218
214 324-6100
www.doctorshospitaldallas.com