By Joseph W. Maslak, M.D., FACP
Member of Medical Staff at Galesburg Cottage Hospital
834 N. Seminary Street, Suite 301
Galesburg, IL 61401
Board Certified in Internal Medicine
Fellow of the American College of Physicians
309-342-9183

For those American adults, approximately 23 million, who have been diagnosed with diabetes and the additional 57 million adults age 20 and older who have pre-diabetes, the holiday season can presents a boggling array of unhealthy food choices offering up a holiday smorgasbord of nutritional pitfalls.

Chronic diseases like diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability in the nation – and pre-diabetes is the body’s warning sign that full-blown diabetes could be right around the corner. Pre-diabetes is a condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels that is not high enough to be classified as diabetes, but significantly increases the risk of developing full-blown diabetes.

Research shows that up to one-third of individuals with pre-diabetes will advance to Type 2 diabetes within 10 years. Additionally, pre-diabetes elevates your odds of developing other chronic conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, and various eye diseases.

Pre-diabetes and diabetes have the same set of risk factors and the screening for each condition is virtually the same. Pre-diabetes has no symptoms, and many people have it for years before it is detected. However, having pre-diabetes doesn’t necessarily mean that developing diabetes is a forgone conclusion. Recent studies have shown that lifestyle changes can prevent or delay the development of Type 2 diabetes. Regular physical activity, a good diet, and monitoring your blood glucose level are the basics of diabetes prevention.

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a major research effort of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, has followed 3,000 high-risk individuals in an effort to learn effective strategies to prevent or delay the advancement from pre-diabetes to diabetes.

The DPP and several other similar studies of people at risk for diabetes have shown that lifestyle changes may reduce the advancement to diabetes by more than 50 percent. DPP findings indicated that changes such as these – losing 5 to 7 percent of your body weight, if overweight, and exercising at least 30 minutes a day – reduces the risk of getting diabetes by 58 percent.

If you’re at risk for diabetes – meaning you are overweight, physically inactive, have hypertension (blood pressure of 140/90 mmHG or more), a member of a high-risk ethnic population (African American, Hispanic or Pacific Islander), or have a family member with the disease – it’s a good idea to be regularly screened for pre-diabetes. A test for pre-diabetes is quick and easy can be performed as part of your annual check-up.

The American Diabetes Association recommends a screening test by age 45 for all individuals and every three years thereafter, and earlier for people who are overweight or with any of the above-mentioned risk factors.

Your doctor can use one of two different blood tests to screen for pre-diabetes: the fasting plasma glucose test (FPG) or oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

Both tests are equally effective to identify pre-diabetes, according to industry experts. If two tests are administered and the results of each are both higher than 200mg/dL for the two-hour blood glucose test, or above 126 mg/dL after the fasting test, you have diabetes.

It’s important to remember that pre-diabetes is not an automatic path to diabetes – the condition can be delayed, and even reversed, with the right lifestyle changes. You can learn more about your risk of diabetes, prevention or treatment by visiting us online at cottagehospital.com and learn more from these websites: , www.cdc.gov/diabetes; National Diabetes Education Program, www.ndep.nih.gov; American Diabetes Association, www.diabetes.org; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov.

This festive season stay healthy by opting for more nutritious foods at the holiday table and sneaking in a walk around the local mall before you commence with holiday shopping.

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About the Author: Joseph Maslak, M.D., F.A.C.P. is board certified in internal medicine, Dr. Maslak is an exercise enthusiast and a triathalon athlete. He is accepting new patients. Call 309-342-9183 for an appointment.

Risk Factors for Pre-Diabetes:  

• Overweight
• Physically inactive
• Have hypertension (blood pressure of 140/90 mmHG or more)
• Are of African American, Hispanic or Pacific Islander descent
• Have a family member with diabetes

Pre-diabetes tests:
If you’ve had a pre-diabetes test, certain terms and acronyms are used to describe your tests, as well as your health status. Here’s a quick guide to some important terms:
Fasting plasma glucose test (FPG). A test that involves overnight fasting, with the drawing of blood the next day.
Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). A test that involves drinking a glucose solution and, two hours later, drawing blood and measuring the level of glucose.

Either the FPG or OGTT test can be used to screen for pre-diabetes, and some health experts recommend using both methods.

IFG (impaired fasting glucose). This measures the elevation of blood glucose after a fasting period of at least eight hours (the fasting plasma glucose test). Numbers between 100-125 mg/dL are considered to be in the pre-diabetic zone.
IGT (impaired glucose tolerance). This means that glucose levels are elevated to 140-199 mg/dL two hours after consuming glucose (i.e., the oral glucose tolerance test).

Each condition (IFG and IGT) refers to the amount of glucose in your bloodstream and your body’s ability (or impaired capability) to process or metabolize glucose. People with pre-diabetes have IFG or IGT, and some people have both.