Understanding Prediabetes: How Abdominal Fat and Lifestyle Changes Can Make a Difference

Abdominal fat is associated with excessively high levels of glucose in the blood (high blood sugar). If the glucose value is between 100 and 125 mg/dL, measured on an empty stomach, in the morning, the diagnosis is prediabetes. Studies show that type 2 diabetes can set in within 5 years of prediabetes. Prediabetes can be remitted if it is possible to reduce body fat, especially in the abdominal area, a new study shows, according to a documentary presented by Hotnews.
Prediabetes is a serious condition in which blood sugar (blood sugar) is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, the blood sugar level measured in the morning, on an uneaten basis is over 126 mg/dL. Values ​​between 100 and 125 mg/dL are considered high and indicate prediabetes.
Before we discuss prediabetes, let’s first understand what diabetes is. Diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by elevated blood glucose levels induced by defects in insulin secretion and/or insulin sensitivity. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that acts as a key that allows glucose from ingested food to pass from the blood into the cells to produce energy.
In the blood, all carbohydrates from food are converted into glucose. Insulin helps glucose enter the cells. In prediabetes, cells in the body do not respond normally to insulin. To make the cells respond, the pancreas produces more insulin. But the pancreas can’t keep up, so blood sugar rises, setting the stage for prediabetes. And, if we don’t take action, even for diabetes. “Without intervention, many people with prediabetes could develop type 2 diabetes within five years,” warn experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Prediabetes sets in silently, and what we feel can be attributed to many other conditions. This is because the high blood sugar values ​​recorded in the case of prediabetes affect several organs and tissues.
The risk of prediabetes and diabetes is higher in the following situations:
* Body weight. Overweight and obesity are among the first risk factors in this case. Especially when the fat deposits are predominantly at the abdominal level (waist circumference is greater than 94 cm in men and greater than 80 cm in women);
* Age, sedentary lifestyle and smoking. People aged 45 or older are more at risk of developing prediabetes, especially if their lifestyle is sedentary. The risk increases even more in smokers, because smoking increases insulin resistance;
* Genetic inheritance. If one of the parents has type 2 diabetes, the risk of diabetes in children is 40%. If both parents have this disease, the risk increases to 70%-80%, according to experts cited by smartliving.ro.
* Polycystic ovary syndrome and gestational diabetes. In women, polycystic ovary syndrome, but also the birth of a child weighing more than 4 kg or the presence of gestational diabetes during pregnancy are factors that can increase the risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Abdominal obesity, also known as visceral obesity, refers to the mass of fat accumulated in the abdomen area. It is associated with a number of metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. The most commonly used measurements for diagnosing abdominal obesity include waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, which are determined by both environmental and genetic factors.
A high blood sugar or prediabetes means that in the morning, without eating, we have a value that is between 100 and 125 mg/dL. Also, a glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) between 5.7% and 6.4% can also mean prediabetes.
New medical research points to increasing obesity and sedentary lifestyles affecting more people who are being diagnosed with prediabetes at younger and younger ages. The installation of prediabetes can also increase the risk of eye complications, kidney complications, the appearance of some types of cancer or cardiovascular diseases.
Doctors at the German Diabetes Research Center set out to investigate how weight loss can reverse prediabetes. Their recent analysis adds to existing evidence that dietary habits and lifestyle can influence metabolic function and reduce the risk of developing diabetes. The main results of the study showed that body fat, or adipose fat that builds up in the abdominal cavity and surrounds organs, can influence insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, heart and liver disease.
The study by German researchers showed that those participants who made lifestyle changes were able to achieve a remission of prediabetes after just 12 months. They were able to reduce their morning fasting blood glucose levels, reduce their glycated hemoglobin levels and increase their glucose tolerance. “The more insulin resistant a person is, the higher the risk of prediabetes and diabetes. As a nutritionist, I’ve noticed that prediabetes and diabetes often go into remission when weight loss is achieved,” nutritionist Kimberly Gomer told Medical News Today.

2023-10-10 21:08:14
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