Prediabetes Treatment with Diet, Exercise, and Pills

Prediabetes indicates that your blood glucose levels are higher than normal. It is critical to start prediabetes treatment on time because this condition is reversible and early intervention can save you from complications later on.

Prediabetes is an early diagnosis of the fact that you are going to get diabetes. But it does not mean that you can’t treat it. Prediabetes literally means PREVENT-DIABETES!

So, if you’ve recently been diagnosed with prediabetes, it’s not too late and you can turn around with the help of appropriate strategies.

The treatment for prediabetes is not as strict as that for diabetes but you have to be consistent to get the desired outcomes.

In this article, we will discuss different ways you can use to treat prediabetes.

Treatment of prediabetes through diet and exercise

Prediabetes can be treated by making healthy changes to your diet and lifestyle. you should start with smaller changes instead of attempting to change everything in just one go.

Weight loss is the common remedy for most chronic diseases because obesity and generally having higher body fat can put you at risk of metabolic disorders. And significant weight loss can be achieved by making small appropriate changes in your lifestyle.

With weight loss, you combat inflammation and your metabolism is accelerated which aids in the proper working of the hormone insulin and hence plays a great role in the treatment of prediabetes.

Modify your diet

Food is the source that provides glucose to your body so that’s why you can control the glucose levels in your body by managing the food you eat.

Over the internet, there are a million suggestions and dietary modifications. But the most critical step is to avoid making a rush!

You need to take it to step by step so that your body also adjusts to the changes you make.

Here are some simple dietary tips to treat your prediabetes

Watch your Portions

The amount of food that you consume at one time determines a lot about how much your glucose is going to be raised. Portion control is also very beneficial for weight loss because when you are mindful of your portions, you consume lesser calories than usual.

The best method to control your portions is to divide your plate into sections with half filled with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with protein, and the other quarter with cereals and grains.

This way you get the basic food groups in each meal and the fiber intake is also balanced.

Focus on the Quality of Carbs

The major misconception is that people think it is only the quantity of carbs that matters. However, the type of carbohydrates also makes a big difference.

All carbohydrates produce glucose and raise blood glucose levels but some might raise them higher as compared to others. This is where the quality difference comes in.

Good quality carbs include whole grains such as oats, whole wheat, barley, quinoa, etc., and other foods like vegetables, lentils, and beans.

Stay Away from highly processed foods

Highly processed foods do not provide any nutrients and are just empty calories. Such foods and beverages are only loaded with sugar, sodium, and saturated fats.

If you have prediabetes, these processed items can literally make you diabetic in no time. That’s why you need to avoid them as much as possible.

Eat more vegetables

Vegetables are the best source of fiber and they are very much suitable for prediabetes because they provide fewer calories and even fewer carbs.

So instead of fruit juices, you can go for vegetable juices, vegetable salads, and veggie soups.

Going for vegetable fast foods can also be a good alternative that can be tried once or twice a month to overcome your fast-food cravings.

Maintain a consistent food intake

People these days are very inconsistent with their meals. Like they often eat nothing till lunch and then have a high-calorie, energy-dense meal that lasts till dinner.

If you have prediabetes, you need to be more consistent about your meals. Have three meals per day with at least two snacks. You should not give more than 6 hours of the time interval between your meals.

Eating at regular times balances the sugar levels and you also eat less because you’re never too hungry.

The amount of carbohydrates consumed in one meal is very important. If you take any medications for prediabetes, you should count your carbs at every meal so your glucose never rises too high or goes too low.

Eliminate “BAD” Fats

Some fats are beneficial for health while others are not. Avoid any sort of saturated or trans fats which not only play role in weight gain but also increase your risk of heart disease.

Include good fats such as olive oil, canola oil, other vegetable oils, avocado, soft margarine, nuts, seeds, and oily fish like trout and salmon in your daily diet. These are known as unsaturated fats.

Always Select Low GI Foods

The GI is a scale of 100 that ranks carbohydrate-containing foods and drinks based on how much they raise blood sugar levels after they are consumed.

High GI foods raise blood sugar levels higher and faster than low GI foods. There are three types of GI:

• low GI (55 or less)
• GI medium (56-69)
• a high GI (70 or more)

Eat foods in the low GI category the most, foods in the medium category less frequently, and foods in the high GI category the least.

In general, the higher the GI, the more highly processed a food is or the faster a food is digested. Instant oats, for example, have a higher GI than steel-cut oats.

Summary of different dietary interventions for treating Prediabetes:

Physical activity

Physical activity is extremely important because it helps you burn extra calories. If you have prediabetes, you can maintain your sugar levels through daily physical activity. Some easy ways to indulge in physical activity include:

• Walking
• Swimming
• Cleaning
• Aerobics
• Gardening
• Cycling

Avoid long periods of sitting by standing or moving around every 20 to 30 minutes. Increasing your daily physical activity is one of the most important things you can do to improve your blood glucose control and your overall health.

Different Dietary Interventions for Prediabetes Treatment:

The table below summarizes the different dietary interventions for treating prediabetes:

Medications for prediabetes treatment

Although you must go for lifestyle amendments ad a treatment option for prediabetes. But some glucose-lowering medications such as metformin (Glucophage) can also help you in blood sugar control and even weight loss.

Here is a summary of the different medicines that may help delay the onset of diabetes and treat prediabetes:

Newer drugs such as GLP-1 analogs have not been studied, however, they seem to be the most potent drugs for the treatment of prediabetes.

This is because GLP-1 analogs like Ozempic and Saxenda are associated with significant weight loss.

Because weight loss is the key to improving insulin sensitivity and delaying the onset of diabetes, GLP-1 analogs may be considered the most potent drugs for treating prediabetes.

Here is a list of GLP-1 analogs that may help in the treatment of prediabetes:

In addition, SGLT-2 Inhibitors like Jardiance and Farxiga may help control blood glucose and reduce body weight. Hence, they have the potential to treat prediabetes.

Lastly, the most potent intervention for treating prediabetes is bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgeries like Gastric Sleeve and Gastric Bypass are associated with significant weight loss.

These procedures have resulted in curing diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and other weight-associated comorbid conditions.

Bariatric surgery is probably the most potent treatment of prediabetes in obese individuals and individuals with insulin resistance.