MedicineNet.com
About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map
November 26, 2009
MedicineNet home Picture Slideshows Diseases and conditions Symptoms and signs Procedures and tests Medications Health and Living Picture Image Collection MedTerms medical dictionary
home > diabetes center > diabetes a-z list > diabetes prevention index > diabetes prevention article
Font Size
A
A
A



Diabetes Prevention
(Type 2 Diabetes)

Medical Author: Ruchi Mathur, M.D.
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr, MD, FACP, FACR

Pre-Diabetes… Could You Have It?

Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Could you have the signs and symptoms of pre-diabetes?About 41 million Americans between the ages of 40 and 74 have "pre-diabetes." Prediabetes is a condition that, as the name implies, can be considered an early, potentially reversible, stage in the development of Type II diabetes. Pre-diabetes is sometimes called impaired glucose tolerance or Impaired Fasting Glucose (IGT/IFG). In pre-diabetes, a person's blood sugar (glucose) levels are slightly higher than the normal range, but not high enough for a true diagnosis of diabetes. People with pre-diabetes have a significant risk of developing full-blown diabetes; in the Diabetes Prevention Program study, about 11% of people with pre-diabetes developed Type II diabetes each year during the three-year follow-up time of the study.

Doctors generally use one of two different blood tests to diagnose diabetes and pre-diabetes. One is called the fasting plasma glucose test (FPG), in which a person's blood glucose level is measured first thing in the morning before breakfast. The normal fasting blood glucose level is below 100 mg/dl. A person with pre-diabetes has a fasting blood glucose level between 100 and 125 mg/dl. If the blood glucose level rises to 126 mg/dl or above, a person is considered to have diabetes.

Read more about the symptoms of pre-diabetes »

Introduction to diabetes prevention

I'm pretty lucky in my office practice. I have friendly patients who are usually already fairly well informed about their disease. They are also generally willing to have discussions about therapies and options.

What I have noticed (much to my delight) is that there are a growing number of patients coming to me for evaluation BEFORE they actually have developed diabetes, wanting to know how to prevent it. Most of them have seen family members with diabetes go through the process of diagnosis and management. As our attitude towards disease changes, and we learn to focus on prevention, I have more and more to discuss with these patients. Ultimately, I hope to see a paradigm shift where our focus is primarily on prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes. For now, I hope this review provides some information to those of you wanting to make healthy lifestyle changes, and that it encourages you to open up a dialogue with your own doctor about diabetes prevention.

There are 2 major forms of diabetes - type 1 and type 2. This article focuses specifically on type 2 diabetes. This form of diabetes is virtually a pandemic in the United States. This article reviews the risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes and covers key points regarding predicting who is at risk for type 2 diabetes (and what they can do about it).

What is type 2 diabetes?

While diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar values, type 2 diabetes is also associated with a condition known as insulin resistance. While there is an element of impaired insulin secretion from the beta cells of the pancreas especially when toxic levels of glucose occur (when blood sugars are constantly very high), the major defect is the body's inability to respond properly to insulin.

Eventually, the pancreas is working it's best to produce more and more insulin, but the body tissues (for example, muscle and fat cells) do not respond and become insensitive to the insulin. At this point, overt diabetes occurs as the body is no longer able to effectively use its insulin to maintain normal blood sugar levels. Over time, these high levels of sugar result in the complications we see all too often in patients with diabetes.




Next: What are the risks factors for developing diabetes? »

Printer-Friendly Format  |  Email to a Friend


Suggested Reading by Our Doctors
MedicineNet Doctors
  • metformin, Glucophage - Drug information about metformin (Glucophage, Glucophage XR, Glumetza, Fortamet, Riomet), a drug used for treating type II diabetes in adults and children.
  • Hemoglobin A1c Test - Hemoglobin A1c test is used as a standard tool to determine blood sugar control for patients with diabetes
  • Diabetes - Learn about type 1 and 2 diabetes (Diabetes Mellitus) symptoms including increased urination, thirst, weight loss, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, skin infections, and blurred vision. Causes and diagnosis information is provided in the information.
Read more Diabetes Prevention related articles »

Latest Medical News


Privacy Policy

Diabetes

Find tips and advances in treatment.

Are you Depressed? Take the Quiz

Your Guide to Symptoms & Signs: Pinpoint Your Pain


From WebMD

Diabetes Resources
Featured Centers
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors

Diabetes Prevention

Heart Disease »

Introduction to heart disease

The heart is like any other muscle, requiring blood to supply oxygen and nutrients for it to function. The heart's needs are provided by the coronary arteries, which begin at the base of the aorta and spread across the surface of the heart, branching out to all areas of the heart muscle.

The coronary arteries are at risk for narrowing as cholesterol deposits, called plaques, build up inside the artery. If the arteries narrow enough, blood supply to the heart muscle may be compromised (slowed down), and this slowing of blood flow to the heart causes pain, or angina.

A heart attack or myocardial infarction occurs when a plaque ruptures, allowing a blood clot to form. This completely obstructs the artery, stopping blood flow to part of the heart muscle, and that portion of muscle dies.

What are the risk factors for heart disease

Risk factors for heart disease include:

    ...

Read the Heart Disease article »




Latest Diabetes News


Health categories:

Slideshows | Diseases & Conditions | Symptoms & Signs | Procedures & Tests | Medications | Health & Living | News & Views | Medical Dictionary

Popular health centers:

Allergies | Arthritis | Cancer | Diabetes | Digestion | Healthy Kids | Heart | Men's Health | Mental Health | Women's Health | More...

Publications:

ePublications (PDFs) | XML News via RSS | Audio Podcasts | Email Newsletters

MedicineNet.com:

About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map | WebMD® | Medscape® | eMedicine® | eMedicineHealth® | RxList®

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

©1996-2009 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Notices and Legal Disclaimer.
MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.