Take Pre diabetes Symptoms seriously:How to Reverse Pre diabetes?

Many of us are not aware that with a little and timely efforts we can easily get cured of pre diabetes symptoms and reverse pre diabetic condition, which if neglected, can become a serious health issue in future. How can I get rid of pre diabetes is a quarry we often hear among a vast segment of ignorant population in most of the developing countries. Proper education and awareness about the pre diabetes symptoms and how to reverse them is probably the biggest weapon to combat diabetes, which is a silent killer. One report says, on an average, people with type2 diabetes die 5-10 years before people without diabetes. And if not well controlled, diabetes can lead to heart attack, stroke or kidney failure.

We observe the “world day for awareness against Diabetes” on 14th November, every year. In one such awareness campaign a WHO report recently revealed that there are over 170 million people affected by diabetes and the number is expected to grow to about 365 million by 2030. The survey also projected that developing countries will see an escalation in number of diabetics by 200 per cent. In India alone over 50 million have been diagnosed with Type2 diabetes and as far as the population with pre diabetes symptoms is concerned, only China exceeds India. This rising tide of diabetes sufferers has affected the countries of the world to such an alarming degree that as per a latest study every 10 seconds a person dies of diabetes. This alarming rise in number of diabetic patients around the world and dire predictions of worse to come, dissemination of knowledge and spreading of education amongst the vast segment of uninformed population about how to reverse pre diabetes has become extremely urgent. Early identification of pre diabetes symptoms to prevent from becoming full-blown diabetes of such persons, therefore, has posed a great challenge to the diabetologists.

Pre diabetes condition is the stage between normal and regular diabetes. Doctors say that this is an alarming sign. It has been observed that prediabetes symptoms in people are not significantly prominent. This is a condition when the blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not as high as in Type2 diabetes, which is more common type when our body does not make or use insulin well. The term ‘pre diabetes’ has been given by the American Diabetic Association with an intention to create awareness and convey seriousness of the condition, motivate people to opt for appropriate treatment and for lifestyle modification. Pre-diabetic condition in a patient takes a long time to transform into established diabetes.

Unfortunately in most of the cases it is observed that pre diabetes symptoms are not taken seriously by the patients. By the time you are diagnosed that you have full-blown diabetes, you may have had it for quite a few years in the form of pre diabetes. Early identification and treatment of people with pre diabetes symptoms has the potential to reverse pre diabetes and reduce its chance of progress to established diabetes and its related complications.

Pre diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Patients with pre diabetes symptoms may show signs of unusual thirst, unusual weight loss or excess weight gain in their abdominal area, fatigue and Irritability, higher blood pressure, and irregular levels of blood lipid profile, all of which substantially contribute to risk factors towards heart disease. If you have one or more of these pre diabetes symptoms, you should see your doctor without delay.

Now let us come to the question whether pre diabetes is reversible and if yes then how to reverse pre diabetes? The good news is that people with prediabetes symptoms can prevent development of full-blown diabetes if adequate steps are taken in time as per the advice of the doctors. Doctors say that the reason behind high sugar is entry of glucose into the blood cells due to disturbance in the dynamics of insulin. This sugar circulates in the blood stream, but is unable to penetrate into cells and tissues to produce energy. The exact reason for this is not known. Type2 diabetes is often related to lifestyle and eating patterns. The other important factor is stress. Doctors are yet to understand the precise way stress affects diabetes but this they are sure of: if a person is predisposed to diabetes, stress can trigger onset of the disease.

Diabetes is often referred to as lifestyle disease and, therefore, unhealthy dietary habits, combined with lack of physical activity and excess weight, dramatically increase the risk of this disease in an average adult. While eating right is important, you don't have o give up sweet entirely or resign yourself to a lifetime of bland 'health food'. A diabetic diet is simply a healthy eating plan that is high in nutrients, low in fat, and moderate in calories. It is a healthy diet for anyone. The only difference is that you need to pay more attention to some of your food choices - most notably the carbohydrates you eat. Here are few guidelines as suggested by the diabetologists on how to reverse pre diabetes which, if followed regularly, can invariably stop the progress of pre diabetes symptoms and development of full-blown diabetes.

1. Sleep 7 hours a day;
2. Exercise 30 minutes a day and do Yoga/Meditation;
3. Maintain Blood Pressure at less than 135/85 mm Hg;
4. Eat small but frequent meals at regular intervals. Do not skip meals;
5. Follow a meal plan. Always eat a high fiber, low-fat diet;
6. Check for worsening blood sugars at least twice a year and any complications related to eye/renal/cardiac once a year;
7. Maintain Lipid Profile as below,

>Low-density lipo-protein cholesterol (bad cholesterol): below 130mg/dL(optimally below 100mg/dL;

>Triglycerides: less than 150 mg/dL;

>High-density lipo-protein cholesterol (good cholesterol): above 40 mg/dL for men and above 50mg/dL for women;

In nutshell, there are plenty of opportunities by which pre diabetes can be reversed back to normal, if we care to avail them sincerely. A pre-diabetic takes as long as ten years for transformation to a typical Type2 diabetic and if we take the pre diabetes symptoms seriously and follow the suggested guidelines given in the foregoing paragraph to reverse pre diabetes, we can easily avoid establishment of Type2 diabetes. According to a top diabetologist, people need to realize that the main cause for the growth of diabetes ailment is poor diet rich in carbohydrates and fat and absence of physical exercise. Therefore, everyone must get involved in regular physical activity and take a nutritious and balanced diet to avoid development of pre diabetes symptoms.

In short, be 'SELF' aware- beware of 'Stress', 'Exercise' regularly, make 'Lifestyle' adjustments and be aware of kind of 'Food' you eat. The encouraging news about this ailment is that up to 80% of type2 diabetes is preventable by adopting a healthy diet and increasing physical activity.

Author's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice.