The Invisible Epidemic

Why Pre-diabetes is Sweeping the Country and How You Can Avoid It

When Tanya Cochran went to her doctor, all she had was a sense of not feeling well. “I don’t feel bad and I don’t feel great,” she told him. “Something is off.”

Lab tests showed elevated liver enzymes and fasting blood sugar levels. The English and writing professor learned she suffered from prediabetes. She was not yet 30.

Cochran has plenty of company. An estimated 86 million Americans–greater than one out of three–have prediabetes, a condition in which fasting blood sugar levels are elevated above the recommended 100mg/dl but still below the 126 mg/dl level that marks full-blown diabetes.

The epidemic is largely silent and unknown. Among this group, nine out of 10 have no idea they have prediabetes. As it turns out, there isn’t much more awareness of the growing epidemic among doctors either. What this means is, we each need to be responsible for our own health.

The risks and results

Diabetes is a disease in which the body can no longer properly break down the sugars found in food, transforming them into needed energy for the body. There are two types of the disease. Type 1 diabetes results from the body’s immune system turning on itself and destroying insulin-producing cells. It has typically been found in children and young adults.

Prediabetes is actually the precursor to type 2 diabetes, which is a lifestyle-based illness that results when the cells build up a resistance to insulin, resulting in excess hormone in the bloodstream. Because sugar cannot enter the cells, it flows through the bloodstream, attaching to any tissues and organs it can find along the way, systematically altering their healthy function.

Higher-than-optimal glucose levels affect the entire body, from the heart and vascular system to the circulatory and immune system. That’s why insulin resistance and diabetes are closely associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, blindness, poor circulation (which can lead to amputation), and even infertility and cancer.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, risk factors for prediabetes include:

being overweight
being 45 years or older
having a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
being physically active less than 3 times a week
having gestational diabetes
giving birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds
having polycystic ovary syndrome

Although prescription drugs can help control blood sugar levels, the American Diabetes Association and those experienced in dealing with the disease emphasize a critical lifestyle component to reversing the disease and reducing the risk of developing full-blown type 2 diabetes. Tanya Cochran chose to follow a lifestyle plan to reverse hers. She adopted a plant-based diet and a regular exercise routine. She chose to cut out desserts and make sure to sleep seven to eight hours per night.

“I wasn’t interested in meds,” she says. “For me, it’s about feeling good. If I eat horrible, I feel horrible.”

Cochran’s doctor gave her a few months to make new lifestyle choices, with the plan to put her on medication if necessary. It wasn’t.

“I never counted calories or even portions. I just ate more vegetables, fruits, nuts, and low-glycemic grains. I also began a simple exercise plan that involved walking 2 miles each day. That’s it.” She lost 20 pounds in the first two months. She shed a total of 40 pounds in the first year, and another 20 pounds the second. Fifteen years later, her blood glucose levels remain normal. There were other benefits too. Besides losing weight, Cochran saw her skin clear, her energy increase, and her monthly cycles regulate.

She learned to cope in social situations that involve food by bringing along a healthy dish she could eat and share. And as she met her health goals, she allowed herself to splurge on special occasions.

“My desire to avoid medication or insulin injections fueled my lifestyle changes,” she says. “Though I felt motivated at first by fear, I eventually began to love and trust myself more and more as I made healthy changes and saw results.”

How to Prevent or Reverse Prediabetes

Eat a whole-food plant-based diet.

Pile on the fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts. Choose whole-grain carbohydrates only and cut out refined sugar and saturated fats. Changing your diet helps control blood sugar day to day and is also crucial to weight control–a big part of preventing prediabetes from becoming the full-blown disease. This can be a big change if you’re a meat and potatoes kind of person, but training yourself to eat healthy now can pay big dividends in the future–and it can even turn around your prediabetes completely.

Exercise daily.

Each week, get at least two and a half hours of light aerobic activity–walking, swimming, gardening, etc. And stay active throughout the day. Avoid sitting for long periods of time, and look for opportunities to add movement, such as taking the stairs, parking away from the store, or push-mowing your lawn. Studies also show that going for after-meal walks can prevent blood sugar spikes and help bring them in a normal range.

Quit smoking.

Tobacco has been linked to increased blood sugar levels and contributes to insulin resistance. Those who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day double their risk of getting diabetes. So if you’re a smoker, quitting should be at the top of your list.

Get good rest.

When you miss a good night’s sleep, the body processes glucose less efficiently, mimicking insulin resistance and contributing to higher blood sugar. Getting the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep is an important way to make sure your metabolism is functioning at its best.