What Is Borderline Diabetes?

Borderline Diabetes is also known as prediabetes. People with prediabetes or borderline diabetes have blood sugar levels higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. These people do not have any specific sign or symptom. They have glucose intolerance---that is their blood sugar levels are high but their body is still producing insulin.

However the insulin produced in not enough to keep the blood glucose level in the normal range. People with fasting blood glucose levels from 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 --6.9 mmol/L) are considered to have prediabetes.

Borderline diabetes is considered important because it increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. There is no specific treatment for borderline diabetes ---but the good news is that changes in your lifestyle and diet can help you to improve your blood glucose levels. Diet and lifestyle changes that can improve pre-diabetes include;

• Maintain your body weight as healthy as possible. If you are obese try to lose weight.
• Do regular exercises—moderate physical activity on most days of a week for 30-40 minutes is considered adequate.
• Eat a healthy and balanced diet
• Limit intake of sweets and salt, alcoholic beverages
• Take care of your portion sizes. Do not take more calories than required. All excess calories are converted to fats and stored in the body and excess calorie causes rise in blood sugar level.

If your blood sugar levels are elevated your doctor may recommend re-testing of sugar levels and if required other tests. DO not ignore if your blood test results are abnormal.

Dr Poonam Sachdeva, our in-house medical expert talks about the why what and how in diabetes.

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