Control Prediabetes

You may not get diabetes even if you have prediabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a disease that can cause damage to almost all systems and organs in your body. It is especially likely to cause cardiovascular disease. According to the American Diabetes Association, you do not automatically get type 2 diabetes just because you have prediabetes. There are some things that you can do to prevent developing diabetes, even if you are prediabetic.

Reducing Glucose Levels

When you are prediabetic, your blood sugar is elevated but is not high enough to classify you as being diabetic. People who are prediabetic do have a
greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes. There is no list of symptoms for this problem, and many people do not realize that they have prediabetes.

The American Diabetes Association says that you can reduce the chance of developing type 2 diabetes by losing only 7 percent of your body weight. If you weigh 200 pounds, you can significantly reduce your chance of getting diabetes by losing only 15 pounds. Moderate exercise, such as brisk walking for half an hour five times a week, plus losing this amount of weight will reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. These two preventive measures are not very difficult to do, epecially when you know all of the problems that type 2 diabetes can cause for you if you do not control your prediabetes.

Making Dietary Changes

As a prediabetic, you can make a few easy changes in your diet that will help you get your glucose level down. One of these is to eat complex carbohydrates instead of simple carbohydrates. Complex carbs include foods like whole wheat bread, brown rice and brown pasta. White bread, white rice, white pasta and sugary foods raise your glucose levels after you eat these foods. In time, your body may not be able to produce enough insulin to control your glucose levels. Complex carbohydrates digest more slowly and do not cause huge spikes in blood sugar levels.

Eating the wrong kinds of fats can also increase your risk of having your prediabetes worsen into type 2 diabetes. Instead of eating fattening baked goods, snack items and processed foods, switch to eating nuts, fish, avocados, olive oil and peanut oil. When you eat the kind of diet that is healthy, you can greatly reduce your risk of having your blood sugar level spike after you eat a meal.