PREDIABETES AND INSULIN RESISTANCE
By Sue Kangas, PA

Sue Kangas, PAPrediabetes and Insulin Resistance- What is the difference and why be concerned about these health conditions.
Prediabetes: This is having a high glucose level but not high enough to be a type two diabetic. The normal range of our fasting blood glucose is 80-100. Prediabetes and insulin resistant level is between 101 – 125.
Insulin Resistance:
Insulin is a hormone made by our pancreas. It is an important hormone, it is responsible for taking glucose out of our bloodstream and transporting it to our muscle, fat, and liver cells where we need it to give us energy. When we are Insulin Resistant our body’s cells are not responding normally to the insulin and without an appropriate response glucose builds up our blood stream.
Causes: The causes of prediabetes and insulin resistance are not fully understood, but researchers think that excess weight and lack of physical activity are two major factors. It is believed that having too much fat in the abdomen around the organs called visceral fat, is the main cause of insulin resistance. Research is showing that a waist measurement of 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women is linked to insulin resistance.
Symptoms: Prediabetes and Insulin Resistance typically have no symptoms, but there are people who do have darkened skin in their armpits, on their back and sides of their neck along with multiple skin tags in these areas.
Prevention/Reversal: Luckily these conditions are preventable and reversible. Eating healthier foods like whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds, increasing physical activity to reach 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity aerobic activity, losing 5-7% of one’s current body weight can also prevent and reverse the disease process. Metformin is a medication that is used to treat type two diabetes and is prescribed to some people with prediabetes to delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. Metformin works best for obese people, younger adults and women with a history of gestational diabetes.
We should be concerned about both conditions as a person with prediabetes or insulin resistance has a 50% chance of becoming a type 2 diabetic over the next 5 to 10 years according to the National Institute of Health.