Diabetes, prediabetes or worried? Now what?

One in six people over the age of 40 is likely to have type 2 diabetes, with many more lurking in the grey area, the slippery slope that can lead up to a future diabetes diagnosis, which is called prediabetes.

The number of diabetes diagnoses has doubled since 1996, and it’s now one of the top priorities for the NHS. It’s really not a place you want to go since it also puts you at greater risk of stroke, heart disease, visual disturbances and other eye problems like cataracts and glaucoma, higher risk of bacterial, fungal and yeast infections, high blood pressure, damaged nerves and blood vessels.

The good news is that nutrition and lifestyle medicine are recognised as the most effective way to lower your risk of developing diabetes, and also of managing the condition alongside any pharmaceutical treatment and improving outcomes.

If you’re worried about your own health or that of a loved one, I wrote this for you. As a Functional Medicine Nutritionist I want you start you on a journey to support your health so that you can stop the downhill slide. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot fix this just by losing a little weight and I’m afraid that the way you might have gone about this in the past simply is not going to work anymore. And just starving yourself into losing a handful of pounds is not going to fix the underlying problem. It won’t miraculously change the numbers that came up in your test results. Let me show you what does work.

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition in which levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood are higher than normal.

There are two main kinds of diabetes (type 1 and 2). Both types involve insulin, a hormone responsible for controlling the level of glucose in the blood. Type 1 diabetic patients do not produce sufficient insulin and therefore need to inject it (this type of diabetes is the rarer kind, and often develops at a young age).

Type 2 diabetic patients, produce insulin, but the cells become insensitive to it and so it fails to do its job properly. Type 2 diabetes accounts for over 90% of all people with diabetes, and the condition usually develops later in life. This type of diabetes is far more strongly associated with diet and lifestyle factors.

How Is Diabetes & Prediabetes Diagnosed?

Diabetes is diagnosed by testing your blood sugar level. If your fasting plasma glucose level (FBG) is too high (above 7 mmol/l) or your oral glucose tolerance (OGTT) is above 11.1mmol/l, your HbA1c (a measure of long-term blood sugar levels) is above 6.4%, this represents a diagnosis of diabetes.

For prediabetes, a condition where your blood sugar levels are higher than normal and that often leads to type 2 diabetes, your FBG might read between 5.5 and 7 mmol/l, your OGTT might be between 7.8 and 11.1 mmol/l, and your HbA1c might be between 6% to 6.4%.

Risk Factors

You are overweight

You have a close relative – parent or sibling – who has a diabetes diagnosis

You have high blood pressure or low HDL (‘good’) cholesterol

You’re over 40 (higher risk over the age of 25 if you are South Asian, Black African or African Caribbean and with a lower BMI)

What to do if you’re worried

Your GP will be able to organise blood tests for you. You can also check your blood glucose levels yourself with the kind of blood sugar monitor you can get in chemists/ pharmacies. If you are worried about the results you see, you must go to your doctor to get a diagnosis and next steps. A single abnormal reading is not enough for a diagnosis as blood sugar levels can be thrown out by all kinds of things not least your stress levels. After two or more unfavourable readings, seek help.

This is also how you will lose weight

Obesity is believed to account for 80-85% of the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while recent research suggests that obese people are up to 80 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those that are not overweight (Diabetes UK). This statistic alone tells you how strongly linked weight gain is to blood sugar control. So, the best way to be healthy, have abundant energy levels and be the right weight is to regain blood sugar control, which heralds the return of your body’s ability to burn fat.

You’ll lose weight effortlessly, without having to starve, and gain health and vitality at the same time. Keeping your blood sugar balanced depends on choosing foods with a low glycaemic load (GL); you might be amazed by some of the foods that have a high GL rating. Cornflakes have a very high GL, whilst peanuts do not.

There are also some simple nutrition tips that you can start to implement right now that can help.

Simple Rules

1. Eat regularly within an eating window e.g. eat after 8am and stop eating after 6pm

2. Always eat protein before a meal or snack.

3. Be selective about the amount and type of starchy carbohydrates.

4. Drink plenty of water aiming for at least 8 glasses of water.

5. Fill up on above ground vegetables.

6. Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day (I always recommend appropriate exercise levels for your level of chronic fatigue issues)  

How I can help

I also offer a range of biochemical tests and can work with you to make manageable changes to your diet and lifestyle to get your health back on track.

As a Functional Medicine Nutritionist, I work with my clients to guide them to make better food choices that help lower their blood sugar levels. The strategy we create is tailored to you and no one else. I am interested in what you like to eat, what you don’t like to eat, and will help you make changes at a speed that feels right for you to achieve your goals.

We also look your whole health, including other annoying symptoms you might be experiencing and try to mop those up as we go along. You would be surprised the impact you can make on all aspects of your health when you work with me. Typically, when I teach you to master your blood sugar, energy levels and sleep also shoot up.

It’s easy to dismiss the risk, but the shift from blood sugar levels that are occasionally out of balance to prediabetes – and even into diabetes - can happen almost without your noticing it. You may experience niggling symptoms now, like low energy or your weight creeping up on you, and my advice is to take your future health into your own hands and seek advice.

I offer all my clients a complimentary Health Transformation Strategy Call to help them take the first steps back to good health. Why not book yours today? Just hit the button below.