Key Risk Factors for Pre-Diabetes

Belly Fat
If your waist is bigger than your hips, you are insulin resistant and at increased risk, whether you are overweight or not. Losing weight is critical. But many times, stress can be the culprit in weight that is gained in the abdomen. So learn how to reduce or counteract the stress in your life. If you need help to reduce stress, read of new tools that healthcare practitioners are making available to their patients.

Unhealthy Blood Sugar Levels
Even levels below 100 mg/dL, once thought harmless, can forecast diabetes. When blood sugar levels begin to rise and no action is taken, it is usually a matter of WHEN, not IF, the person reaches the diabetic glucose level. Recent scientific research validates this observation. According to a landmark Kaiser-Permanente health plan study, blood glucose levels of 86 to 90 indicate an increased diabetes risk, levels of 90 to 94 indicate a 49 percent increased risk, and people with levels between 95 and 99 are 233 percent more likely to develop diabetes.

Unhealthy Body Composition
Your body fat percentage is the amount of fat your body holds and the greater this is above what is normal, the greater the likelihood of diabetes complications as fat cells releases certain inflammatory chemicals that wreck havoc on normal metabolic activity.

Elevated Blood Pressure
Hypertension is an important risk factor for the development and worsening of many complications of diabetes, including diabetic eye disease and kidney disease. It affects up to 60% of people with diabetes. Having diabetes increases your risk of developing high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, because diabetes adversely affects the arteries, predisposing them to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Having a normal blood pressure is as important to managing diabetes as having good control of your blood sugars when it comes to preventing diabetes complications.

Body Mass Index
BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. The goal for most people is a BMI that is between 19 and 24.9 while those over 25 are considered overweight and over 30 obese.

Waist Circumference
Your waist circumference measurement is a great marker for health risks such as heart disease, some cancers and diabetes. If you have a BMI over 25 and have a waist size of over 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women you are considered especially high risk for Pre-Diabetes.

Nutritional Deficiencies
We know that people who are pre-diabetic, are deficient in zinc, chromium, magnesium and low in essential fatty acids, and by providing these specific nutrients your body will start working synergistically kicking in your metabolism to help reverse the pre-diabetic condition. Furthermore, certain supplements and herbs can reduce insulin resistance, and limit inflammation, which promote many of the complications of pre-diabetes.

Worried About Being Pre-Diabetic?
If you have unhealthy BMI, body composition, waist circumference and your blood sugar is in an increased risk range, you need to implement The U-Lite Program.

Still not sure if you are Pre-Diabetic?
Take our Questionnaire or see one of our Healthcare Practitioners and have an A1C Test done.