top of page

Prediabetes

Prediabetes means you have a higher than normal blood sugar level. It's not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes yet. But without lifestyle changes, adults and children with prediabetes are at high risk to develop type 2 diabetes. If you have prediabetes, the long-term damage of diabetes — especially to your heart, blood vessels and kidneys — may already be starting. There's good news, however. Progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes isn't inevitable. Eating healthy foods, making physical activity part of your daily routine and staying at a healthy weight can help bring your blood sugar level back to normal. 

Risk Factors

The same factors that increase the odds of getting type 2 diabetes also increase the risk of prediabetes. These factors include:

​

  • Weight. Being overweight is a primary risk factor for prediabetes. The more fatty tissue you have — especially inside and between the muscle and skin around your abdomen — the more resistant your cells become to insulin.

  • Waist size. A large waist size can indicate insulin resistance. The risk of insulin resistance goes up for men with waists larger than 40 inches and for women with waists larger than 35 inches.

  • Diet. Eating red meat and processed meat, and drinking sugar-sweetened beverages, is associated with a higher risk of prediabetes.

  • Inactivity. The less active you are, the greater your risk of prediabetes.

  • Age. Although diabetes can develop at any age, the risk of prediabetes increases after age 35.

  • Family history. Your risk of prediabetes increases if you have a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes.

  • Race or ethnicity. Although it's unclear why, certain people — including Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Asian American people — are more likely to develop prediabetes.

  • Gestational diabetes. If you had diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes), you and your child are at higher risk of developing prediabetes.

  • Polycystic ovary syndrome. Women with this common condition — characterized by irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth and obesity — have a higher risk of prediabetes.

  • Sleep. People with obstructive sleep apnea — a condition that disrupts sleep repeatedly — have an increased risk of insulin resistance. People who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea.

  • Tobacco smoke. Smoking may increase insulin resistance and can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes. Smoking also increases your risk of complications from diabetes.

Other conditions associated with an increased risk of prediabetes include:

  • High blood pressure

  • Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol

  • High levels of triglycerides — a type of fat in your blood

Preventing or delaying the conversion of prediabetes to overt diabetes can reduce mortality and morbidity rates, improve health-related quality of life, and reduce other comorbid complications associated with diabetes

bottom of page