If you have been recently diagnosed with prediabetes, and if you are looking for ways to reverse borderline diabetes, then read this story. Yes, reversing prediabetes is possible with proper diet and regular exercise. Read ahead...
Prediabetes is a condition wherein slightly higher than normal levels of blood glucose levels are noticed. Lack of proper care after the diagnosis of prediabetes can worsen the condition and you may have to suffer from diabetes for the rest of your life.
With certain dietary alterations and lifestyle changes, borderline diabetes can be reversed. Leaf through the following section to know how to reverse prediabetes.
Normal and Abnormal Blood Glucose Levels
Prediabetes is a stage before diabetes. It is also described as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Increased thirst and hunger, undesired weight loss, slow healing wounds, frequent infections, blurred vision are some of the common symptoms of borderline diabetes. Various blood tests help measure blood glucose levels.
For example, blood test performed after 8 - 10 hours of fasting (mostly overnight) helps measure fasting blood glucose level. Consumption of food leads to a rise in blood glucose levels. Testing of blood sample two hours after meal helps measure postprandial blood glucose level.
Early diagnosis of a disease always helps prevent advancement of the disease and worsening of the symptoms. Detection of borderline diabetes helps prevent diabetes. Prompt medication, proper diet, regular exercise and regular checkup play an important role in reversing prediabetes.
Description - Blood Sugar Level
Normal Fasting Blood Sugar Range - 70 - 100 mg/dL
Normal Postprandial Blood Sugar Range - 70 - 140 mg/dL
Normal Blood Sugar Range (random testing) - 70 - 100 mg/dL
Prediabetes Fasting Blood Sugar Range - 100 - 126 mg/dL
Prediabetes Postprandial Blood Sugar Range - 140 - 199 mg/dL
Fasting Blood Sugar Range for Established Diabetes - More than 126 mg/dL
Postprandial Blood Sugar Range for Established Diabetes - More than 200 mg/dL
How to Reverse Prediabetes
Medication: Taking into consideration your overall health and severity of the symptoms, doctors may prescribe certain medications like Metformin (Glucophage) or Acarbose (Precose) which help bring back blood glucose to normal levels.
These days, various herbal medicines or extracts are available in the market which promote stable blood glucose levels. You can opt for such medicines after consulting your physician as overdose might lead to severe side effects.
Diabetic Diet: A properly designed diet plan can help reverse prediabetes symptoms naturally. A diabetic diet involves consumption of low carb, low fat foods and consumption of low glycemic index foods. Carbohydrates are main sources of glucose.
Consumption of simple carbohydrates leads to sudden rise and fall in glucose levels which affect the function of the hormone insulin. Complex carbs are digested by the body slowly and they don't lead to sudden changes in blood sugar levels. Moreover, they provide fiber which improves digestive health and stable blood glucose levels.
So people diagnosed with borderline diabetes should avoid fast or junk food and include lots of vegetables and fruits, and lean meat in the regular diet. Excessive fat, bad fat like saturated fat should also be avoided. They can consume good fat like that obtained from olive oil, canola oil, lean white meat, etc.
Glycemic index (GI) of food is determined by observing how the food affects blood sugar levels. Foods with low glycemic index do not lead to severe or abnormal fluctuations in blood sugar levels. The GI may range from 1 - 100.
Apples, grapefruit, plum, peach, asparagus, carrots, mushrooms, green peas, cherries, avocados, etc. are some examples of low GI fruits and vegetables. Processed food contains excess salt and hence it should be avoided.
Drinking plenty of water and other healthy liquids are essential to control diabetes. Avoiding table sugar, sugary drinks and foods is equally important.
A healthy and balanced diet helps maintain weight within the normal range. Overweight or obese people are more likely to develop diabetes. Following a prediabetes diet is the best way of controlling weight.
Exercises: Sedentary lifestyle is one of the main risk factors of diabetes, especially for those who have a family history of diabetes. Lack of exercise leads to hormone imbalance, fat deposition, excessive weight, heart diseases, etc. resulting in several health complications like abnormal blood pressure and abnormal blood sugar levels.
Simple exercises like brisk walking, swimming, cycling can help reverse prediabetes. Just half an hour of exercise every day can keep diabetes away. Exercises help stabilize the blood sugar levels. A morning walk can help absorb D vitamin from the rays of the sun. Vitamin D plays an important role in preventing diabetes.
Regular Checking: Those who have a family history, should regularly check blood sugar levels. If borderline diabetes is detected, you need to monitor the blood glucose levels more often. If you don't want to visit the clinic every time, you can learn to measure the blood glucose at home, with easy-to-use monitors.
Regular checking helps to know about the effectiveness of the treatment and whether you need to modify the treatment to get better results.
People diagnosed with diabetes find it more difficult to control blood sugar levels than those with prediabetes. Diabetic people are more susceptible to infections leading to gangrene and macular degeneration leading to blindness. Diabetes can weaken your immune system and can also affect the functions of other systems.
A little bit of control over the mind and discipline regarding diet and exercise can help prevent diabetes.