Pre-diabetes should not be ignored
January 22, 2005
By Barbara Quinn
"I don't have diabetes," a woman in my office
told me. "My doctor says it's just borderline."
In truth, there is no such thing as "borderline"
diabetes. (It's kind of like being "borderline"
pregnant.)
There is, however, a condition called "pre-diabetes"
that describes blood glucose (sugar) levels not high
enough to be classified as diabetes but not low enough
to be called normal. According to criteria established
by the American Diabetes Association, if you have a
"fasting blood glucose" lab result between
100 and 125 milligrams per deciliter, you have "pre-diabetes."
What's the big deal? Ignore "pre-diabetes"
and you probably will go on to develop full-blown type
2 diabetes for which there is no cure. Make some lifestyle
changes while you are still in the "pre-diabetes"
stage and you have a very good chance to reverse it.
Solid research has identified five behavior changes
that can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes:
• If you are overweight, lose at least 5 percent
of your current weight. That's just five pounds for
every 100 pounds you weigh. Even a modest weight loss
helps to prevent diabetes.
• Cut the fat . . . to less than 30 percent of
your total calories. Figure how many calories you eat
each day and divide that number by 30 to get your "daily
fat goal" (in grams). For example, if you eat 1,500
calories a day, your daily fat goal is less than 50
grams. (You can check out fat grams on food labels.)
• Eat less saturated fat - no more than 10 percent
of your total daily calories. Saturated fat is listed
on food labels. An ounce of cheese, for example, contains
about 6 grams of saturated fat.
• Eat more dietary fiber . . . 25 to 30 grams
a day. Since fiber is only found in plant foods, this
is a sneaky way to get more fruit, vegetables, beans
and whole grain foods into your diet. For instance,
a cup of cooked beans contains 15 grams of dietary fiber.
A cup of noodles contains 1 or 2 grams.
• Exercise 150 minutes or more each week. That's
at least 30 minutes a day five days a week.
The American Diabetes Association calls diabetes "one
of the most costly and burdensome diseases of our time."
Now we can do something to stop it before it happens.
Source:www.bradenton.com
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