According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in three U.S. adults have prediabetes, but most do not know it. If that sounds hard to believe, many people with the disease do not have any symptoms, making it hard to know when it’s time to see the doctor, especially if you don’t already visit annually. While something with the word “pre-” in it sounds a bit harmless, without intervention prediabetes is likely to become type 2 diabetes within 10 years.

Prediabetes’ elusiveness only adds to the confusion many people have regarding the disease. Many don’t know how it differs from a full-blown diabetes diagnosis or what it means for their health now and in the future.

Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood glucose is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes.  Without lifestyle changes, a person with prediabetes is at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Because prediabetes does not have any clear symptoms, it can be hard for you to know that you have it. Most often, your health care provider discovers it during routine testing, especially if you have a family history of the disease.

Risk factors for prediabetes and diabetes are the same:

• Family history
• Being overweight
• Leading a sedentary lifestyle
• Hypertension
• High cholesterol
• A history of gestational diabetes
• Women who have delivered a baby over nine pounds
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Patients with the risk factors listed above are commonly tested using their fasting blood glucose levels, those present in the blood when you have not had anything to eat or drink (except water) for at least eight hours. An A1C test may be performed instead of a fasting plasma glucose test, which measures the average blood glucose for the past two to three months.

Since more than 7.1 million Texans have prediabetes and more than 3.2 million have diabetes, chances are you know multiple people with the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Wichita County has the highest percentage per population of diabetics in North Texas, followed by  Navarro, Johnson, Ellis, Tarrant and Dallas counties.

There are multiple explanations as to why Texas may have higher incidence rates of diabetes and prediabetes, like its ethnically diverse population and an appetite for fried or smoked food that could give Big Tex a run for his money.

Diet is a huge contributing factor to the development of diabetes, but contrary to popular belief, consuming excessive amounts of sugar isn’t directly correlated to the disease. Instead, carbs and saturated fats are the more likely culprits. Since most Americans’ diet consists of 45 to 65 percent carbs, reducing our carbohydrate intake can be tough, particularly with foods that many Texans love, like rice, pasta, beans, tortillas, bread and sweets, which can also be high in saturated fat.

Although you may need to make some changes in what and how much you eat if you have been diagnosed with prediabetes, you do have some flexibility in deciding what you can eat and nothing is necessarily “off limits.” 

The American Diabetes Association has an interactive tool, along with lists of diabetes-friendly foods to help you visualize the healthiest meal.

In addition to eating healthy, almost everyone can benefit from moving throughout the day.  Aim for at least 30 minutes, five days a week.  

Lifestyle changes play an important role in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes, starting with making regular visits to a primary care provider who can partner with you to monitor your glucose levels and answer any questions you may have.

The changes you make today can make a big difference tomorrow.