Pre-diabetes it is the condition that, as the name implies, can occur before diabetes is fully developed. It is when blood glucose stays elevated above normal levels, but not so high that it meets the formal definition of diabetes. It’s said that over 40 million people in the United States have pre-diabetes—and most do not even know it.

Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed when the fasting blood glucose rises beyond 126 mg/dL. A normal fasting blood glucose is between 70-100 mg/dL. The person whose fasting result is between 100 and 125 mg/dL is said to have pre-diabetes. The bad news is that Type 2 diabetes could be on the horizon. The good news is that there is much that can be done to prevent or delay its development.

Pre-diabetes is a concern not only because it can lead to Type 2 diabetes, but also because even slightly elevated blood glucose levels can lead to long-term damage throughout the body. Recent research has indicated that some of the physical complications associated with diabetes—particularly to the heart and circulatory system—may already be occurring during pre-diabetes.

The results of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) reported that it was possible to prevent or delay the development of diabetes in a large group of people with pre-diabetes. On average, the study showed that subjects who lost about 7 percent of their body weight and exercised 30 minutes per day, five days per week, prevented or delayed the development of diabetes by up to 58 percent. This is tremendously encouraging for those who want to prevent diabetes and are willing to adopt healthy lifestyle changes.

Pre-diabetes occurs in people of all ages and races, although certain ethnic groups have a higher risk, just as they also have a higher risk for Type 2 diabetes. Both pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes are more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders.

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