Prediabetes is Preventable, Reversible: Make Smart Moves Now
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Are you one of more than 98 million American adults who have prediabetes? Are you one of more than 8 in 10 adults with prediabetes who don’t know they have it? This month, South Heartland District Health Department (SHDHD) and Hastings Diabetes on Track Coalition are raising awareness about diabetes and the silent killer called prediabetes. We want you to know that prediabetes is preventable and reversible! Read on to learn how you can find out if you have prediabetes and what you can do about it.
Diabetes is a big concern because the number of people with diabetes is higher than it ever has been. Diabetes is the 8th leading cause of death in the United States – it also is the #1 cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations and adult blindness.
What is it? Type 2 diabetes is a disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. Most people’s bodies naturally produce a hormone called insulin, which helps convert sugars from food we eat into energy that the body can use or store for later. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make insulin, or it isn’t able to use the insulin the way it should.
Prediabetes is a serious condition when your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. This can happen because your body may not make enough insulin to help change food to energy, or your body may not be able to use the insulin as it should.
More than 30% (one in every three) of U.S. adults have prediabetes. In SHDHD’s 4-county area of Adams, Clay, Nuckolls and Webster counties, that is about 11,000 adults! In Hastings, about 65% of adults age 30-70 are at risk for prediabetes, according to the Hastings Diabetes on Track Coalition.
We call prediabetes a silent killer because people often don’t know they have this condition that is threatening their lives. People with prediabetes also are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. And, if they don’t make changes, they could develop type 2 diabetes within five years.
So – if you haven’t checked, it’s time to find out if you have prediabetes so you can make changes now to reverse it. A quick and easy first step is to take a short risk survey (risk test) to see if you have any of these risk factors. Your risk score will be calculated based on your answers to these questions:
1) How old are you?
2) Are you a man or woman?
3) If you are a woman – have you ever been diagnosed with gestational diabetes?
4) Do you have a mother, father, sister or brother with diabetes?
5) Have you ever been diagnosed with high blood pressure?
6) Are you physically active?
7) What is your weight category?
The answers to these questions are assigned certain scores, depending on your answer. If your total score is 5 or higher, this means you might have prediabetes and you are at risk for diabetes. There is an online link to the risk test at https://diabetesontrack.org/hastings/ or you can get a paper version of the risk test from the health department.
The risk test can tell you if you are at risk for diabetes. A way to know for sure if you have prediabetes or diabetes is to get screened. Screening is a blood test that checks for blood sugar levels. If your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes, that means you have prediabetes. You can get these blood tests at your doctor’s office, at health fairs, and at some pharmacies.
What’s the good news? Prediabetes can often be reversed! You can reduce your risk of developing prediabetes or, if you already have prediabetes, you can reverse it by taking these three steps: get moving, lose weight and eat healthy.
Being active, ideally at least 150 minutes per week, will reduce your risk of developing diabetes. Even losing a modest amount of weight, 5-7% of your body weight, is a positive step. Paying more attention to the types and amounts of foods you eat is another important step, including balancing the amounts and types of protein, carbohydrates/starches, and fruits/veggies you eat every day.
Most people probably already know that doing these things will make them healthier, but these kinds of changes can be a big challenge for many of us!
For some ideas, try the SMART HUB for Diabetes Prevention, which was developed by the Hastings Diabetes on Track Coalition. You can find it on the SHDHD website at: https://tinyurl.com/SMARTHUBPreventDiabetes.
From the SMART HUB, you can take the risk test, find out where to get screened for diabetes, how to eat healthy and how to be more active, learn more about the SMART MOVES diabetes prevention program, and how to connect with coaches to help support your desired lifestyle changes.
Prediabetes is preventable and reversible! People just like you are making changes to prevent diabetes. So…during November, for National Diabetes Awareness Month, take charge of your health to reduce your risk of diabetes. You can start by taking a risk test, talking to your doctor about the getting screened for diabetes, or contacting SHDHD for more information about area resources and prevention assistance.
Michele Bever, PhD, MPH, is the executive director for South Heartland District Health Department, serving Adams, Clay, Nuckolls and Webster Counties in Nebraska. She may be reached at 402-462-6211 or toll free at 877-238-7595.
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