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To understand how to reverse prediabetes, you need first to make yourself aware of what prediabetes is. Prediabetes is a condition wherein the blood sugar levels in the body are higher than the standard rate but not high enough for you to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Prediabetes develops into type 2 diabetes if one does not take proper care of one health. This condition often means that some amount of damage to the heart, blood vessels, and kidneys has already begun, and knowing how to reverse prediabetes becomes necessary.
To know more about how to reverse prediabetes in the best possible way, one should consult a doctor immediately.
Symptoms of Prediabetes?
To reverse prediabetes, you need to know that you are susceptible to developing the condition. One should consult a doctor if they start to observe any of these symptoms:
- Darkening of the skin around the neck, armpits, elbows, knees, and knuckles
- Frequent need to urinate
- Increased thirst
- Excessive hunger
- Fatigue or frequent nausea
- Blurred eyesight
To understand how to reverse prediabetes upon the observation of any of these symptoms, doctors usually prescribe a blood sugar screening of the individual immediately.
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How to reverse prediabetes – Causes
Although the exact causes of prediabetes are still unknown, advances in medicine have helped doctors gather some ideas about what gives rise to this condition.
It is through studying these causes that doctors figure out how to reverse prediabetes and treat the patient.
The prime causes of prediabetes include the following:
#1 Genetics
Chances of you developing prediabetes and later type 2 diabetes are higher if you have a family history of this disease. It is always advisable for individuals whose parents are diabetic to follow a proper diet regime to avoid the occurrence of diabetes.
#2 Obesity
Being overweight puts you at extremely high risk for many unwanted diseases, and diabetes is one of the top ones. Excessive fat around the abdomen area is a cause for worry and may lead to you developing prediabetes.
#3 Insulin resistance
Most of the glucose that our body requires to function comes from the food that we eat. Upon digestion, sugar enters our bloodstream, and it is the job of the insulin hormone to facilitate the movement of sugar to the different cells of the body. The pancreatic glands are responsible for producing insulin. However, the pancreas may start to secrete less insulin, or the cells of the body develop resistance to it.
Insulin resistance increases sugar levels in the bloodstream, resulting in prediabetes or even type 2 diabetes.
#4 PCOS
PCOS is a condition in which women develop conditions like irregular menstrual cycles, excessive hair growth, and obesity.
Women who have been diagnosed with PCOS, polycystic ovarian syndrome are at high risk for developing prediabetes.
Other causes of prediabetes include metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by high blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol or good cholesterol, and an increase in triglycerides.
5 Factors that put you at risk for prediabetes
To know how to reverse prediabetes and when one needs to be aware of the various factors that put you at risk for the conditions.
Some of the major factors include the following:
#1 Diet
Consumption of red meats or processed meats, consuming large quantities of processed and refined sugar, or drinking aerated beverages are some of the things that put you at risk for developing prediabetes.
#2 Inactivity
Lack of proper exercise or being inactive results in weight gain and increases the risk of developing prediabetic conditions.
#3 Age
According to scientific research, individuals over the age of 45 are at high risk for developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Doctors strongly advise regular checkups and a proper lifestyle routine for individuals around this age to eliminate such risks.
#4 Gestational prediabetes
Suppose you are an expecting mother and you have prediabetic conditions, or you have type 2 diabetes. In that case, the newborn child is at high risk for being prediabetic or diabetic in the future.
#5 Smoking
Smoking tobacco is another major cause that leads to insulin resistance and results in being prediabetic or diabetic.
Knowing the causes that can result in prediabetes shall help you be informed and make better choices. It will also ensure that you do not reach a stage where you need to start thinking of steps of how to reverse prediabetes.
How to Reverse Prediabetes? – 10 Lifestyle Changes
#1 Avoid all types of refined carbohydrates
This includes almost every junk food that you love binge-ing on- from plates of pasta, pizzas, loaves of bread to rice
#2 Avoid all types of added sugar
Sugar is the prime catalyst that leads to prediabetes and diabetes. Make healthy choices when it comes to your daily sugar intake. Substitute sugar with honey or agents like stevia.
The best source of sugar is from food items that are sweet naturally, be it fruits and vegetables or honey, sugarcane, and jaggery.
#3 Avoid sweet beverages
Aerated drinks contain added sugar in large quantities. It is best to avoid that glass of coke if you want to know how to reverse prediabetes. Apart from this, the tea and coffee that you regularly consume should also ideally be with less sugar or no sugar at all.
#4 Make healthy food choices
Add food items like avocado, olives, and almonds to your diet. These food items have the necessary health benefits, and if you are looking to know how to reverse prediabetes, adding them to your diet is a must!
#5 Add an hour of exercise to your daily routine
The importance of keeping yourself active cannot be overemphasized! Doctors advise light exercises and a brisk walk to every patient who has prediabetes or diabetes. Making this healthy choice for yourself shall avoid the need for you to know how to reverse prediabetes.
Check out how semen retention can have an adverse effect on your lifestyle and sugar level.
#6 Consult a certified nutritionist
Getting in touch with a specialist and following the guidelines set by him/her shall go a long way if you are looking to know how to reverse prediabetes. Adopting a clean diet is a must for individuals with prediabetes or diabetes. This means adding loads of green vegetables and fruits to your diet, eating lean meats and whole grains.
#7 Quit tobacco intake
Consuming tobacco in whichever form needs to be one of the first things you need to drop from your life if you seriously want to reverse prediabetes. Smoking tobacco leads to insulin resistance which is a significant reason why conditions like prediabetes and diabetes occur.
#8 Treat your sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a condition in which your breathing regularly stops while sleeping due to throat relaxation. It is often characterized by snoring, choking, or gasping during sleep.
Sleep apnea is linked to insulin resistance. Hence it is immediately advised to treat it to reverse prediabetes.
#9 Keep yourself hydrated
The importance of drinking water is another rule that cannot be emphasized enough. Water helps you to keep your glucose levels in control. It is also a healthy substitute for aerated drinks and juices that cause prediabetes.
#10 Reduce your stress
Stress has a direct link to prediabetes or diabetes. The blood sugar level increases when you are stressed. Practice meditation or yoga every day to keep your stress levels in control.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What severe medical conditions can prediabetes or type 2 diabetes lead to?
Knowing how to reverse prediabetes is essential if you want to prevent any severe medical repercussions of prediabetes and diabetes for yourself.
These conditions put you at high risk for the following medical problems:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Heart diseases
- Nerve damage
- Amputations
Q2. How to reverse prediabetes medically?
Although there are not many ways to medically reverse this condition apart from taking medications to control sugar levels, one method to reverse prediabetes would be bariatric surgery.
Bariatric surgery is a procedure in which surgeons operate on the stomach and digestive system to change your eating pattern. This helps you lose weight and may help in reversing prediabetes as well.
Q3. What are the few courses of action that you should avoid at all costs if you want to know how to reverse prediabetes?
If you want to reverse prediabetes safely, the following are the things you should definitely be avoiding:
- Over the counter drugs
- Homeopathy medications
- Prescription drugs
- Dietary supplements
They do not do much for your condition apart from creating a hole in your wallets and should be avoided at all costs.
Conclusion
Prediabetes may seem like a condition that you may not be able to combat, but knowing how to reverse prediabetes can adopt healthy practices in your everyday life. Adopting healthy practices at the right time shall save you many major medical complications.
The mantra that you should avoid for your life to live disease-free is to eat right and exercise!
