Pre-diabetes or the condition of impaired glucose tolerance is an indication that you are likely to be affected by diabetes in future, if the risk factors remain uncontrolled. Many cases of diabetes can be prevented at a very early stage itself if the condition is diagnosed at in the initial stages. In pre-diabetes, the cells become resistant to insulin and as a result, the blood sugar levels will be higher than the normal range, but lower than the diabetic range. The most promising fact about pre-diabetes is that by life style modification, the pre-diabetic stage can be reversed so as to enable the person lead a healthy life without being in the grip of the dreaded disease, diabetes.
Pre-diabetes and Diabetes Diagnosis
Pre-diabetes being the predecessor of diabetes, does not exhibit any noticeable symptoms and many times, the condition is detected following a routine blood test. Even if some mild symptoms are present, they may not be apparent or clear cut.
People who are overweight or obese need to check periodically for the development of resistance to insulin which would be evident from the tests for pre-diabetes. Moreover, anyone with a family history must do regular tests especially after the age of 40-45 years. Those who have a history of hypertension and are physically inactive are also susceptible candidates.
Those having diabetes will exhibit noticeable symptoms like excessive thirst, increased urination and excess hunger. This is because the body is unable to utilize the excess glucose present in the blood. Along with that, the desperate attempt to eliminate the surplus glucose results in polyuria. But instead of depending on the clinical history, laboratory tests provide reliable results.
The commonly used tests for detecting pre-diabetes and diabetes include:
Fasting Plasma Glucose test: The test is recommended to be done in the morning to obtain the most accurate results. The blood sample is taken from the person who fasts for the minimum eight hours. Those having plasma glucose levels of 100 to 125 mg/dl after eight hours of fasting can be categorized as pre-diabetics. Values consistently above 125 mg/dl clearly indicate diabetic condition.
Glucose Tolerance Test: Glucose tolerance test is used to diagnose pre-diabetic stage accurately, even though used to detect diabetic state as well. After the fasting period of eight hours, the parson drinks water containing 75 gms glucose. The blood sugar levels are checked before and after two hours of ingestion of the liquid. Values between 140 and 200 mg/dl indicate pre-diabetic state and those above 200 mg/dl diagnoses the diabetic condition.
Random Plasma Glucose test: Random glucose test is done in patients regardless of their previous meal. As a result, the test cannot be trusted so much to make a diagnosis. But a value of 200 mg/dl and above along with other classical symptoms of diabetes is indicative of diabetic state, even though diagnosis must be established through reliable tests and is essential in controlling diabetes.
Depending on the test results, further test will be needed if you are to control diabetes. Those having positive results will need frequent checking and monitoring along with the necessary diet modifications. Even if tested negative, those who come under the risk category will have to do the tests periodically.
Many people are aware that cinnamon has very potent activities against diabetes – to such an extent that pharmaceutical companies are testing various extracts as treatments for this ubiquitous disease.