high blood glucose levels | Diabetes Healthy Solutions

What are Borderline Diabetes Symptoms?

Borderline diabetes, also known as pre-diabetes is a condition that typically develops before progressing to full-blown type 2 diabetes. Also known as glucose intolerance or impaired fasting glucose, it means that although you have higher than normal blood glucose levels, they are not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Overview

If you have borderline diabetes, the pancreas still produces adequate insulin in response to carbohydrates you’ve ingested. However, the amount of insulin produced is still less effective at getting rid of sugar from your bloodstream, so blood sugar levels remain higher than normal. This condition is commonly known as insulin resistance.

If you’ve been diagnosed with borderline diabetes, it’s important to understand that you are not alone. A 2015 study showed that 1 in 3 American adults had the condition. That’s about 84.1 million Americans.

Having borderline diabetes does not necessarily mean you’ll develop diabetes. It’s simply a warning of what could happen in the future. However, people with borderline diabetes have a significantly higher risk of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes compared to people with normal blood glucose levels. The risk increases if they don’t make healthy lifestyle changes to their activity habits and diet.

What are the symptoms of borderline diabetes?

Borderline diabetes does not typically have any clear tell-tale signs or symptoms. However, one possible sign is darkened skin or some parts of the body such as the neck, knuckles, elbows, and knees.

Some of the signs and symptoms that may indicate that the condition has progressed from borderline diabetes to type 2 diabetes may include:

Excess hunger
Blurred vision
Frequent urination
Fatigue
Increased thirst

When should you see a doctor?

It is extremely important to see a doctor if have any concerns about diabetes if you’ve noticed any signs or symptoms of type 2 diabetes or have any risk factors for the condition.

What are the causes of prediabetes?

Although the exact cause of borderline diabetes isn’t known, factors such as genetics and family history play a significant role. Other important factors include excess belly fat, being overweight, and failure to engage in regular physical activity.

However, it’s clear that people with borderline diabetes don’t process blood glucose properly anymore. This results in the accumulation of sugar in the bloodstream instead of being absorbed and used by cells in tissues for energy.

Glucose in our bodies comes from the food we eat. When food is ingested and digested, glucose enters the bloodstream. However, cells require a hormone known as insulin in order to absorb glucose from the bloodstream.

Insulin is produced by a gland called the pancreas which sends insulin to the bloodstream once the food is ingested. Insulin enables cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream, hence lowering the amount of glucose in the blood. When blood sugar levels start to drop, secretion of insulin into the bloodstream is gradually reduced.

For people with borderline diabetes, this process is impaired. Cells may become resistant to insulin or the pancreas may not produce enough insulin. Therefore, instead of acting as fuel for the body, glucose builds up in the bloodstream.

Prediabetes risk factors

Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes share the same risk factors. These include:

Waist size: If you have a large waist size, it could be a sign of insulin resistance. Men with a waist size of more than 40 inches and women with a waist size of more than 35 inches have a higher risk of insulin resistance.
Weight: obesity or being overweight is one of the main risk factors for prediabetes. Having a large amount of fatty tissue, especially between and inside the skin and muscle around your abdomen, increases the risk of your cells becoming resistant to insulin.
Inactivity: A sedentary lifestyle increases your risk of borderline diabetes. Regular physical activity uses up blood sugar for energy, helps you control your body weight, and makes the cells use insulin more effectively.
Diet: Eating processed meat, red meat, and consuming sugar-sweetened drinks, is associated with a higher risk of borderline diabetes. A diet high in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, olive oil, and nuts is associated with a significantly lower risk of borderline diabetes.
Age: Diabetes and prediabetes can occur at any age. However, people aged 45 and lower are at a higher risk of prediabetes.

Ethnicity or race: Studies show that certain people, including Hispanic, Black, Asian American, and American Indians are at a higher risk of developing prediabetes

Family History: People who have a sibling or parent with type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of prediabetes.
Polycystic ovary syndrome: Women suffering from this condition, which is often characterized by obesity, excessive hair growth, and irregular menstrual cycles, have an increased risk of prediabetes.
Gestational diabetes: In case you had gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant), you and your child have a higher risk of developing prediabetes. If you’ve had diabetes while pregnant, it is extremely important to be screened for prediabetes at least once every two to three years.
Obstructive sleep apnea: If you suffer from this condition that disrupts normal sleep repeatedly, you have a higher risk of developing insulin resistance.
Tobacco smoke: Smoking increases your risk of carrying more weight around the belly as well as your risk of developing insulin resistance.

Other conditions commonly associated with borderline diabetes include:

High levels of triglycerides
Low levels of good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol)
High blood pressure

These conditions are commonly associated with prediabetes, especially when they occur with being overweight or obesity.

Read more here about recognizing diabetes symptoms!

The bottom-line

79 million people in the United States have pre-diabetes and many people will develop type two diabetes because of their lack of knowledge. Much of this could be stopped if people knew what to look out for and would talk to their doctor.

Once you have noticed symptoms of prediabetes, you can talk to your doctor and see how to reverse it. A borderline diabetes diet may bring you back to normal levels and keep you from getting type 2 diabetes.

If you have borderline diabetes, the damage of diabetes, especially to your kidneys, heart, and blood vessels, may have already started. Nevertheless, the good news is that progression to type 2 diabetes can be prevented or significantly delayed.

There are two tests that the doctor may give you if diabetes or pre-diabetes is suspected. The fasting glucose test and glucose tolerance test are used to determine if you have prediabetes.

Engaging in regular physical activity, staying at a healthy weight, and eating a healthy diet can help lower your blood sugar level back to within the normal range.

Lower my blood sugar

Do you have an average blood sugar or is your blood sugar high? For most diabetics they want to lower my blood sugar the proper way without all of the high cost of medications. A diabetic must know that their average blood sugar level is so that if it gets too high they can lower it the safe and proper way.

Diabetes is a very serious permanent condition for all people ages and is taking the world by storm. People are being diagnosed each and every day with diabetes. Diabetes is a serious condition where the person’s body is not getting the required amounts of hormone called insulin. This absolutely necessary chemical/hormone known as insulin is produced by the pancreas organ. For some unknown reasons to modern medicine the pancreas organ will stop or slow in the mass production of this vital chemical. This chemical hormone is used by the body systems to transform the blood sugar molecules (glucose) in the bloodstream into a fuel that the cells are able to use for cell fuel. Without the proper amounts of this absolutely necessary sugar bonding component the blood glucose levels in the blood begin to rise to high levels. Once they reach a certain high blood sugar level the diabetics’ body begins to suffer major cell damage. Untreated diabetes and high blood glucose levels can lead to heart attacks, strokes, organ damage and many more health problems and if left untreated for long periods of time can even lead to death.

To any diabetic, the magic question still is, “How to lower my blood sugar?” So that they can safely live a long, healthy and productive life a diabetic needs to have a average blood sugar level. An average blood sugar level ranges from 80 mg to 140 mg and anything below or above can lead to serious medical problems.

Blood sugar level test

Do you have a family member who is diabetic? Do you have diabetes that runs in your family or a past medical history of diabetes? If this sounds like you then chances are you have been faced with the dreaded blood sugar level test.

The blood sugar level test can be given in various different ways such as drinking pure glucose. A lot of times your doctor will have you come into the office fasting and then ask you to drink a small bottle of pure glucose which is basically sugar water within a certain period of time and then you will be asked to either give a urine sample or a blood sample so that they can test your blood glucose level in order to see if you are a diabetic or not.

For most people hearing those dreaded words that they need to come in for a blood sugar level test is a hard thing to stomach but it has to be done in order to keep them safe, healthy and happy as well as to be able to live a long and healthy lifestyle. Diabetes is caused by insufficient insulin production or lack of responsiveness to insulin, resulting in hyperglycemia (high blood glucose levels). There are 2 primary types of diabetes mellitus, type I (insulin-dependent or juvenile-onset), which may be caused by an autoimmune response, and type II (non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset).

When my grandmother was first diagnosed with diabetes many years ago, it was just a simple life changing habit of changing up some foods and diet and then knowing that she needed to monitor her sugar several times a day. When I have asked her about her trials and tribulations that she has gone through she said that the worst news she got was having her come in for a blood sugar level test which would let her know if she was a full blown diabetic or not.

Fasting blood sugar level

What are fasting blood glucose levels? For a common diabetic, fasting blood glucose levels are a very important thing to know as it affects your entire life. For those who are caretakers of common diabetics this is also very important so that they can properly care for the diabetic. Diabetes is a condition that is becoming more and more common in today’s sugar filled meals and snacks. Diabetes is also known as hyperglycemia, which stands for high blood glucose levels. When your diabetic body has diabetes the pancreas produces too little of the chemical known as Insulin, this chemical is used by the body to convert the blood sugar in the blood into energy that the body’s cells can use. When this chemical is too low the amount of sugar in the blood rises to dangerously high levels. This can cause serious damage to the diabetic body over time such as heart disease, eye failure, nerve damage, and kidney failure. But all of this can be avoided if you keep your blood sugar levels at a healthy level.

In order to keep a fasting blood glucose levels you should buy a small unit called a blood glucose meter this small unit is used to measure the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood. The small units are small enough to be held in your hand and easy to read. The glucose units use small plastic strips with special chemicals inside them to help measure the blood sugar. First a small amount of blood is inserted to a small opening in the plastic strip. (The blood is drawn using a special needle known as a lancet) The plastic strip is inserted into the meter and the meter measures it and displays the results on a small screen on the side. These small units are very cheap and can even be gotten for free if need be. The fasting blood glucose levels amount are 64.8 mg/dl to 120 mg/dl. A person with diabetes will have their blood sugar way higher that so they must keep it in check. Also talk to your doctor about keeping fasting blood glucose levels.

What are fasting blood glucose levels?

What are fasting blood glucose levels? For a common diabetic, fasting is a very important thing to know as it affects your entire life. For those who are caretakers of common diabetics this is also very important so that they can properly care for the diabetic. Diabetes is a condition that is becoming more and more common in today’s world, no wonder – due to the large amounts of sugar filled meals and snacks we eat.

Diabetes is also known as hyperglycemia, which stands for high blood glucose levels. When your diabetic body has diabetes the pancreas produces too little of the chemical known as Insulin, this chemical is used by the body to convert the blood sugar in the blood into energy that the body’s cells can use. When this chemical is too low the amount of sugar in the blood rises to dangerously high levels. This can cause serious damage to the diabetic body over time such as heart disease, eye failure, nerve damage, and kidney failure. But all of this can be avoided if you keep your blood sugar levels at a healthy level.

In order to keep a fasting blood glucose levels you should buy a small unit called a blood glucose meter. This small unit is used to measure the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood. The units are small enough to be held in your hand and easy to read. The glucose units use small plastic strips with special chemicals inside them to help measure the blood sugar. First a small amount of blood is inserted to a small opening in the plastic strip. (The blood is drawn using a special needle known as a lancet) The plastic strip is inserted into the meter and the meter measures it and displays the results on a small screen on the side. These small units are very cheap and can even be gotten for free if need be. The fasting for blood glucose levels amount are 64.8 mg/dl to 120 mg/dl. A person with diabetes will have their blood sugar way higher that so they must keep it in check. Also talk to your doctor about keeping fasting blood glucose levels.