Amazing but true: approximately 84 million American adults—more than 1 out of 3—have prediabetes. Our seniors are at an even higher risk of 50% - 1 out of 2 are affected by prediabetes.
Unfortunately, 90% of people with prediabetes don’t know they have it. Could this be you? Read on to find out the facts and what you can do to stay healthy.
As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states - It’s real. It’s common. And most importantly, it’s reversible. You can prevent or delay prediabetes from developing into type 2 diabetes.
Why should I care about prediabetes?
The sooner you know you have prediabetes, the sooner you can take action to reverse it and prevent type 2 diabetes.
Ready to find out your risk? Take the quiz. Be sure to share the results with your doctor.
What suspicious symptoms could point towards prediabetes?
Diabetics Guide reveals that one of easiest and rather unexpected ways to tell if you have prediabetes may be the skin on your neck, groin, knuckles, armpits, and other parts of the body. In people with prediabetes, they can develop a condition called acanthosis nigricans. It is the development of thick, dark, velvety patches on different areas of the body.
Most people with prediabetes don't have any symptoms. Your doctor can use an A1C test or another blood test to find out if your blood glucose levels are higher than normal. If you are 45 years old or older, your doctor may recommend that you be tested for prediabetes, especially if you are overweight.
Find helpful information published by the NIH U.S. National Library of Medicine on their MedlinePlus website.
Where can I find help preventing or delaying type 2 diabetes?
Congratulations, looking for help means that you’ve completed steps one and two already: you acknowledged that you can benefit from help and you started educating yourself already. Educated self-management remains key and having a supporting team elevates results for all those affected by pre-diabetes and diabetes.
The National Diabetes Prevention Program is a partnership of public and private organizations working to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Partners make it easier for people at risk for type 2 diabetes to participate in evidence-based lifestyle change programs to reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics provides professionals with easy to understand handouts for their interested patients.
Do not forget about the option of taking advantage of clinical trials.
According to the National Institutes of Health participants in clinical trials not only contribute to better treatments for pre-diabetes and diabetes, they get medical attention and education for free, and they can reap financial benefits as well.
Many people say participating in a clinical trial is a way to play a more active role in their own healthcare. Other people say they want to help researchers learn more about certain health problems. Whatever the motivation, when you choose to participate in a clinical trial, you become a partner in scientific discovery and your contribution can help future generations lead healthier lives. Major medical breakthroughs could not happen without the generosity of clinical trial participants—young and old, says the National Institute on Aging.
Learn more about AMCR Institute, a San Diego-based and worldwide renowned research center.
"We passionately believe that the participation of a few in clinical research studies can make a difference to the many that suffer from chronic metabolic conditions," the center's website says, stressing that the research institute places the "care, safety, and confidentiality of our volunteers first."
Take action by considering a clinical trial. Click here to contact AMCR Institute today.
