Prediabetes

[WeAreOnTheRoadToNowhere]

I have been diagnosed as pre diabetic. It was via a blood test at a regular check up
Cut off i believe is 42 (blood sugar level?) and I am 43
Only contact was GP letter telling me to sign up to second nature which I did. I thought there may be a proper assessment but its a very blunt tool, and a private company making ££
They have sent me scales which link to a phone and they monitor weight loss, leaflets and recipe book
I don't agree with much of NHS advice around diet. I am not going to start using margarine or sweeteners. I don't take sugar in anything anyway, don't eat cakes, biscuits or pastry and the only bread I eat is my own sourdough
In the last year I've lost just over 1.5 stones and, at my check up, the nurse said weight, BMI and BP are perfect
I've lost my exercise mojo as been busy so can increase that but not sure what else to do

43 is your HbA1c measure and, yes, between 41 and 48 is considered pre-diabetic. (It can go pretty high, eg, 90s and up.)

I'm not sure what to say about diet really. It sounds like yours is pretty good. I've reduced my HbA1c from 56 (at diagnosis of type 2 diabetes) to 34 by losing 3.5st weight; that did mean changing what I eat but mainly eating less 😅

In your case i would try more veg, less carbs (definitely refined carbs. Stick to wholewheat), fruit with high fibre content.

Good luck. One thing I hadn't realised is that once you're diagnosed with diabetes that diagnosis stays with you even if, like me, you get your HbA1c back to normal. I'm in remission,not 'cured'.

If diabetes isn't managed by weight loss or changing diet then there are drugs to take or even insulin can be an option.

I’d get back to exercise and being more active. I’ve been t2 for years but was pre diabetic even longer, and regular activity, in my case 10k steps per day walking has more of an impact than drugs or diets. Not walking for a day increases my blood sugars more than if I forget to take the drugs! I have a continuous glucose reader app so monitor it and can see graphs of the sugar readings through the day. I’m only just above the pre diabetic range these days, that’s more because of regular activity than controlling food/sugar intake, although I don’t add sugar nor eat lots of sugary food, I still eat bad things such as potatoes, breakfast cereals, crisps etc - more savoury than sweet. I’d advise trying to increase your normal daily activity rather than major changes to your eating at this early stage as your eating doesn’t sound too bad. Just walking more can make a massive difference.

For more info on simple steps to take look at Dave Unwin, a UK based GP, at the PHC, either on YouTube or on their website.
The Public Health Collaboration- a UK based charity trying to save the NHS and the UK population from lifestyle diseases.

https://phcuk.org/

My recent test was 41 I think, not quite at the cut off, but close. After a few times of being 39 or 40, I'd tried to get it down and got to 36 with diet and reducing carbs. So I decided to make a really concerted effort to lose weight - reducing carbs as well as calories, fat, salt etc., and exercising lots, and di lose 20kg, but glucose levels back to 41 now I think!

I read somewhere that weight loss can trigger a short-term increase, so I am kind of hoping that is what is happening, as I'm still in the process of losing weight. But I suspect that is grasping at straws.

I'm 76 and thin, but my blood sugar is 38 even with healthy eating and almost no sweet things at all. I do pilates every day too, with weights half the time to try to build muscle (bit of a forlorn hope!). Going to try apple cider vinegar before meals and aiming to walk even more than I do already. Would anyone recommend wearing the glucose monitor? If so which one?

If your Hba1c is 38 that’s perfectly normal.
I wouldn’t do anything. Live your life.
Don’t with a monitor.
Practice nurse.

Mum of a diabetic here.
38 is normal, not prediabetic not even close! No need to check your blood sugars or have any dietary needs. Youll just make yourself stressed for no reason.

Definitely up the exercise, OP. I find it’s the most important stabilising factor for me. Even a short walk after meals does so much to help.

Thank you! The endocrinologist I was seeing for another problem told me it was verging on prediabetes under American parameters which she thought were better than UK – I think prediabetes starts at 40 there. But I'm glad of the reassurances.

Thanks so much. I was being advised by an endocrinologist, but others have said the same as you so I shall try not to stress about it!

I was told that 39/40 to be aware that it was getting high, even if the cut-off was 42, as I had other conditions like hypertension.
I was somewhat worried as I had already cut out a lot of carbs to get those readings - and even now, I had a fasting glucose test recently for a study and had a result of 5.6 mmol/L, which some sites say is pre-diabetic, although the result at 2-hours was still in the normal range. My HbA1C had improved to 37, though. I had been hoping that both of those would be lower given how much I'd already reduced carbs.
So I think sometimes the results might have to be looked at in conjunction with what you're eating. If it's already quite healthy and low carb, then maybe slightly high results are more worrying, as there isn't a lot else you can do

I'm also still hoping that weight loss and increased exercise, which burns fat, might also be a cause of temporary increases in things like blood glucose and cholesterol, as I've read that that can be a thing. It's getting a bit long for a temporary thing in my case though!