What is pre-diabetes?
Pre-diabetes means that your blood sugars are higher than usual. This means that you are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future.
Preventing type 2 diabetes
By making changes to diet, increasing physical activity, and losing weight, about half of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented or delayed.
Being at risk doesn’t mean you will definitely develop type 2 diabetes. Now is a great time to start making healthy changes to your lifestyle to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Here are some steps you can take to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future.
Manage your weight
If you are overweight, losing just 5% of your body weight can significantly reduce your risk.
Making healthier food choices and being more active are both positive ways to start making these changes. If appropriate, please book an appointment with a Nurse to discuss a referral to weight management services or to our Health and Well-Being coaches for individual support.
Eat a healthy and balanced diet
There’s no special diet for all people at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Everyone is individual, so there isn’t a one size fits all way of eating for everyone. But the food and drink we have in our overall diet is linked to our risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
To reduce your risk, aim to eat more of the following foods:
- Fruit and vegetables (including specifically green leafy veg, blueberries, grapes, and apples)
- Wholegrains (e.g. brown rice rather than white, oats, bulgur wheat, quinoa)
- Yogurt and cheese
- Unsweetened drinks (e.g. water, unsweetened tea and coffee, sugar-free cordial, choose diet or sugar-free fizzy drinks)
Reduce your intake of:
- Sugar sweetened drinks
- Red and processed meats
- Refined carbohydrates (like sugary snacks, white bread, sugary cereals)
- Potatoes (particularly French fries)
Be more active
If you spend a lot of time sitting down, this is known as a sedentary lifestyle. Being sedentary is linked with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
So being active in your daily life can help to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. This doesn’t mean you need to take up a new sport or join the gym. You could make small changes so that you are being more active every day. Think about taking phone calls standing up, using stairs instead of the lift, and going for a walk every day e.g., on your lunch break if you work.
When to see your GP
Prediabetes doesn’t have any symptoms. Please book an appointment with a GP if you experience the main symptoms of diabetes, which include:
- Going to the toilet more often, especially at night
- Feeling more tired, as your body can’t get enough glucose in to your cells for energy
- Losing weight without trying
- Genital itching or thrush
- Cuts and wounds taking longer to heal
- Blurred vision
- Feeling extremely thirsty.
Sign up to the National Diabetes Prevention Programme
This is run by ‘Living Well Taking Control’
Tel : 0300 302 0652 or online at www.lwctsupport.co.uk
This is currently a voicemail only service. You will be asked to leave a message with your name and number and a member of the team will phone you back. To register you will need your NHS number, blood test results and date of blood test.