Prediabetes

Also known asPre-diabetes · Impaired Glucose Tolerance · Impaired Fasting Glucose · High Blood Sugar · 糖尿病前期 · 糖尿病前症

What it is

Prediabetes means a blood test (HbA1c or fasting glucose) shows blood sugar above the normal range but below the level used to diagnose diabetes. It usually causes no symptoms and is found only by testing. It is strongly linked to excess body fat, especially around the waist, inactivity and family history.

Without changes many people with prediabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes, and it also raises the risk of heart disease.

How food and lifestyle can help

In large trials, people who lost 5 to 7% of their body weight and were active for about 150 minutes a week cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by more than half. Small, steady changes you can keep up work better than strict diets.

Foods and nutrients to focus on

1. Vegetables (especially non-starchy ones), whole fruit rather than juice, and plenty of fibre.
2. Whole grains such as oats, barley and brown rice, and beans, lentils and chickpeas.
3. Nuts and seeds, fish, eggs, tofu and poultry for protein.
4. Water, unsweetened tea or coffee as your main drinks.
5. Smaller portions of rice, noodles and bread, or part-swapping them for wholegrain versions.

Foods and drinks to limit

1. Sugary drinks, fruit juice and sweets, which raise blood sugar fastest.
2. Large portions of white rice, white bread, noodles and pastries.
3. Processed meat and fried foods, and frequent snacking on refined snacks.

Good to know

1. Eating protein and fibre with starchy foods slows the rise in blood sugar after a meal.
2. Being active after meals, even a 10-minute walk, helps. See Exercise.
3. Poor sleep and long-term stress can raise blood sugar too.

When to see a doctor

1. You are overweight, over 40, or have a close relative with diabetes and have never been tested; ask for an HbA1c or fasting glucose test.
2. Prediabetes should be re-tested at least yearly.
3. Increased thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision or unexplained weight loss need testing soon.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition or take medicines, check changes to your diet with your doctor or a registered dietitian.

WHO — Diabetes, used for the main facts: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes