Prediabetes and Diabetes Prevention

It is estimated that one in three American adults have prediabetes, or 84 million adults. Within the Intermountain Medical Group, 17,000 patients meet criteria for prediabetes, and another 80,000 have risk factors for the disease.

What is Prediabetes?

Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have high blood glucose levels but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. People with prediabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, but not everyone with prediabetes will progress to diabetes.

Lifestyle changes resulting in weight loss and increased physical activity can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and in some cases return blood glucose levels to within the normal range.

While prediabetes can progress to type 2 diabetes, there are three forms of diabetes that you should be aware of:

• Type 1 diabetes is when your body does not produce insulin. This type of diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults.
• Type 2 diabetes is when your body does not use insulin properly. This form of diabetes is the most common form of the disease.
• Gestational diabetes occurs when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Many women develop gestational diabetes around the 24th week of pregnancy.