More than 29 million people in the United States have diabetes, but many more are at risk and are living with a condition called prediabetes. Patients whose blood glucose is too high to be considered normal but are not diabetic are considered to be in the danger zone. "The criteria for prediabetes is a fasting blood sugar between 100-125 and the results of another test called a hemoglobin A1C, which checks what blood sugar has been over the last three months," says Dr. Ruth S. Horowitz,Chief of the Division of Endocrinology at GBMC. "If the A1C is between 5.7 and 6.4, the blood sugar is moderately elevated and indicates prediabetes.”
Luckily, if you've been diagnosed with prediabetes, the progression to type 2 diabetes is not inevitable. There are lifestyle changes you can make to take control of your blood sugar. Focus on cutting high-carbohydrate foods, which easily break down into glucose and raise blood sugar levels faster than the body can produce sufficient insulin. By limiting the amount of carbohydrates you consume, the body can dispose of the glucose more effectively and maintain a normal blood sugar level. Dr. Horowitz recommends the following: