By Rosanne Rust

www.rosannerust.com

Pre-diabetes is a serious medical condition that occurs when a person’s blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. According to the recently completed Diabetes Prevention Program study, people with pre-diabetes can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes by making changes in their diet and increasing their level of physical activity. They may even be able to return their blood glucose levels to the normal range. This is good news.

The DDP study showed that while some medications sometimes worked to stave off full-blown diabetes, diet and exercise worked better. Just 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity, coupled with a 5 to 10 percent reduction in body weight, produced a 58 percent reduction in diabetes.

So what does this mean to you? Well, first of all, take a look at your risk for diabetes. Ask yourself these questions:

- Does one or both of your parents, or a sibling, have diabetes?

- Are you physically inactive?

- Do you have high blood pressure?

- Are you overweight or obese?

- If you are female, did you have gestational diabetes during any pregnancy?

- Are you an African- Asian- or Mexican-American?

- Are you over age 45?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are at risk for pre-diabetes. Many of the risk factors above are modifiable; that is, you have some control over them. You do not have control over family history, age or race, but you do have some control over your diet and exercise habits.

Since being overweight or obese is one of the most common controllable risk factors for both diabetes and heart disease, it may truly be the best place to start. If you are overweight, I am sure that you want to lose weight. The challenge is knowing where to start. Begin with one or two very simple goals that you can achieve quickly (within a week or two). Rather than worry about “pounds to lose” focus on “behaviors that need to be changed.”

If you are overweight, you are at risk for diabetes. Choose two behaviors from the following list, and get started right now in controlling your long-term health and wellness: