Take Steps Now to Prevent It

Diabetesis a growing problem in America. An estimated 20.8 million people -nearly 7% of the population - have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Awhopping 1.5 million new cases were diagnosed in 2005 alone. In aneffort to slow the increase, doctors have recently begun to identifyindividuals at risk for diabetes before they develop the disease. Theycall it pre-diabetes. The diagnosis gives individuals a chance to delayor prevent the development of type 2 diabetes, a condition in which thebody does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone needed toconvert food into energy necessary for daily life. Diabetes is also aleading risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Pre-diabetesoccurs when blood glucose levels rise above normal, but have not yetreached the diabetic range. The American Diabetes Association estimatesthat as many as 41 million Americans, or 40% of individuals between 40and 74 years old, have pre-diabetes. And if they don't take steps tocontrol their risks, studies show that most of those people willdevelop diabetes within 10 years.*

How to Tell If You Have Pre-Diabetes

Pre-diabetesdevelops silently - it has no obvious signs or symptoms. But certainrisk factors may make you more susceptible. If you are 45 years old orolder, talk to your doctor about getting tested - particularly if youare overweight. You may also want to consider getting tested if you areyounger than age 45 and have any of the following risk factors:

&bull Family history of diabetes.

&bull Overweight or obesity.

&bull Low HDL cholesterol and high triglyerides.

&bull High blood pressure.

&bull History of gestational diabetes or giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds.

&bull African-American, Latino, Native American or Asian-American ethnic origin.

Todetermine whether you have pre-diabetes, doctors may conduct thefasting plasma glucose test (FPG) or the oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT). Both tests require that you fast overnight. The FPG measuresyour blood glucose level before you eat anything in the morning. Alevel between 100 mg/dL and 126 mg/dL indicates impaired fastingglucose, or pre-diabetes. The OGTT takes the same measurement, thenchecks the level again two hours after drinking a glucose-rich drink.Results between 140 mg/dL and 200 mg/dL suggest impaired glucosetolerance, another name for pre-diabetes.

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5 Tips to Help Keep Diabetes at Bay

ANational Institutes of Health (NIH) study of individuals withpre-diabetes found that simple lifestyle changes reduced their risk ofdeveloping type 2 diabetes by 58%. To control your risk, consider thefollowing.

1. Exercise and eat right.The NIH study showed that those who exercised 30 minutes a day, fivedays a week, and followed a low-fat, low-calorie diet were less likelyto develop diabetes than their inactive counterparts.

2. Lose weight.Reducing your weight by 5% to 10%, in combination with eating right andexercising, may help you impede or avoid diabetes altogether.

3. Control blood pressure. Experts recommend taking whatever steps are necessary to reach a blood pressure reading of 130/80 or below.

4. Quit smoking.Kicking the habit can improve your body's ability to use insulinproperly, while reducing your risk for respiratory conditions, cancerand cardiovascular disease.

5. Talk to your doctor.Discuss your risk factors for pre-diabetes and whether you should betested. Your physician can help you decide what lifestyle changes maybe right for you.

* Source: American Diabetes Association, www.diabetes.org.

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