1. Home
  2. Health
  3. Type 2 Diabetes

What You Need to Know About Pre-Diabetes
What is Prediabetes?

By , About.com Guide

Updated February 15, 2008

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

What is Prediabetes?

Over 41 million adult Americans between the ages of 40 to 74 have pre-diabetes. If you are diagnosed with prediabetes, it means that the cells in your body are becoming resistant to insulin and your blood glucose levels are higher than normal, although not high enough to qualify as type 2 diabetes.

Prediabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a relatively new term that has been used to describe a cluster of disorders that together provide an indicator of common treatments for risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular conditions. Insulin resistance is the cornerstone of metabolic syndrome and prediabetes. People who have metabolic syndrome usually are also prediabetic.

Testing for Prediabetes

Your doctor can prescribe some simple tests that will tell you if you have prediabetes, or insulin resistance.

Treatments for Prediabetes

Prediabetes is usually treated with diet and exercise. Just losing 5% to 7% of your body weight and exercising 30 minutes everyday can turn prediabetes around. Sometimes, doctors might also prescribe an oral diabetes medication to help keep blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible.

Explore Type 2 Diabetes
About.com Special Features

8 Ways to Cut Drug Costs

Learn how to save money on medications with these recommendations. More >

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds

Keep yourself, and your family, happy and healthy this fall with these tips. More >

We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.
  1. Home
  2. Health
  3. Type 2 Diabetes
  4. Pre-Diabetes
  5. Prediabetes - Signs of Prediabetes - Signs of Diabetes - What is Prediabetes>

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.