Prediabetes is a condition in which people have blood sugar levels higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as Type 2 diabetes. While overindulgence at Christmas and during the holidays is not, in itself, enough to cause prediabetes, a few extra pounds may increase the risk. Christmas is certainly the time for enjoying a few festive treats with friends and family but it’s important we compensate for this overindulgence,’ says Douglas Smallwood, who is the Chief Executive of the leading charity Diabetes UK. ‘Prediabetes is often a pre-cursor to Type 2 diabetes, which can lead to shortened life expectancy and devastating complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and amputation. Make it your New Year’s resolution to eat more healthily and take regular physical activity.

The good news is that prediabetes is reversible, unlike type 2 diabetes. Being aware of whether you are at risk of prediabetes could give a useful focus to any healthy lifestyle resolutions you are planning for 2010. The risk factors for prediabetes are: having a large waist, being overweight, being of Black or South Asian origin or from an ethnic minority group, having a family history of diabetes or being over 40. Waist measurement is an important one, because research from Diabetes UK showed that many people think they are slimmer round the waist than they really are! When 500 people were asked to estimate – rather than actually measure – their waist circumference, they under-estimated by an average of nearly three inches. If your waist measures more than 37 inches or more if you are a man (35 inches if you are South Asian) or more than 31.5 inches for a woman, then this is a prediabetes risk factor. A blood sugar test is recommended if you have more than one risk factor for prediabetes. Remember, even if the test shows you do have prediabetes, you can beat it with a healthy diet and exercise.

Source:

Diabetes UK (www.diabetes.org.uk) 28th December 2009 and Taub N et al The accuracy of self-measurement and self-estimation of waist circumference in a multi-ethnic population Post at Diabetes UK conference 2008