Before we have a look at whether or not reversing prediabetes is possible, let’s first check out what it is and what you can do about it.
A fairly good analogy that can be applied to pre-diabetes and what it can develop into could be when we started at pre-school.
Preschool gets us at a very young age, and prepares us for going on up into the older kids school.
We get a bit of a taste of what the structure of the overall school environment is about, which then prepares us for that move on up.
Well, getting a diagnosis of being pre-diabetic is a bit like starting off at that pre-school.
You start off early doing the stuff you are not supposed to, and your body slowly takes you in the direction of developing diabetes, at this stage it will more likely end up being type 2 diabetes.
That is if you don’t do something about it.
But, unlike the relationship that our pre-school had with the big student’s school, following on to getting all our qualifications, having prediabetes doesn’t necessarily mean it will develop into type 2 diabetes.
While we don’t all purposely set out with the intention of getting diagnosed with pre-diabetes, in most cases it our lifestyle choices that is largely responsible for it happening.
So What is Prediabetes (Borderline Diabetes)?
Consider prediabetes as a kind of early warning signal that you might be on your way to developing type 2 diabetes.
It is a health condition that shows (through a blood test) that your blood sugar levels (blood glucose) are higher that they are supposed to be, but not quite high enough for a definite diabetes diagnosis.
If your lifestyle choices have been a diet with large amounts of refined sugar, high amounts of salt, processed foods and white flour.
Rather than eating regular amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables, your odds of developing prediabetes also known as borderline diabetes, will have gone up quite dramatically.
If you have also been sedentary and not very active, your risk has been raised even further.
Then if you do happen to be diagnosed prediabetic, if you don’t make proper sensible changes in your life, you could be well on your way to developing type 2 diabetes.
Can Prediabetes be Reversed?
The majority of the time, there are no symptoms that are associated with prediabetes.
So because of this, it is important to get tested for it, especially if there has been a not so healthy lifestyle that has been followed.
If you keep active on a regular basis and eat a smart diet, keep your body well hydrated and get plenty of rest regularly.
The chances are you can get back on track and be on your way to reversing any prediabetes that might have been trying to rear its ugly head.
Can Prediabetes Lead to Type 2 Diabetes?
You should consider prediabetes more as a sign.
It’s a way of your body telling you what could happen if you continue with a dodgy lifestyle.
A prediabetic condition means that your blood glucose level is higher than it should be, but it is still manageable.
It also tells you that you have not become diabetic yet.
In the United States the people that have prediabetes is around 1 in 3.
In most other countries with a western type diet of mostly processed foods and a sedentary lifestyle with little physical activity, the same ratio can more or less be expected.
Prediabetics are not guaranteed to develop diabetes, but research has shown that if significant lifestyle changes are not made, 50% of prediabetics develop type 2 diabetes somewhere in the following 10 years.
The National Center for Biotechnology Information and the National Institutes of Health in the US says that only around 10% of prediabetics become diabetic each year.
Similar ratios were also found with the NHS in the UK.
This shows us that pre-diabetes is basically a red flag, not an unavoidable forecast of diabetes.
But, you must take responsible actions to ensure you are in that 90% group that doesn’t end up with type 2 diabetes.
How to Reverse Prediabetes Naturally
A lot of doctors will tell you that losing around 10 to 15 pounds in weight goes a long way towards reversing prediabetes.
As I mentioned earlier, frequent physical activity and a smart diet can quickly turn around a prediabetic diagnosis.
Losing weight seems to be the key.
Heart and diabetes specialists around the world will tell you just 150 minutes (two and a half hours) of moderate to intense aerobic activity and physical movement each week delivers multiple health benefits, including weight loss and healthy weight management.
Those 2.5 hours of movement could be taking a brisk walk, forms of dancing, cycling, hill walking or hiking, swimming, or performing some type of aerobic exercise.
The key is just to get up and get moving whenever you can.
Add a bit of resistance training 2 or 3 times a week, either lifting weights, performing body weight exercises, or working out with resistance bands, and you increase the calorific and fat burning ability of your body, thus promoting extra weight loss.
If you include smart nutrition, getting plenty of rest regularly and drinking lots of water each day into a regular plan of physical activity, your chances of reversing prediabetes and avoiding type 2 diabetes are dramatically increased.