What should young people do to detect prediabetes early?

Prediabetes is considered the warning stage of diabetes. If not detected and intervened early, about 70% of people with prediabetes will progress to diabetes in just a few years.

In people with prediabetes, blood sugar levels are abnormally high but not high enough to diagnose type 2 diabetes. The worrying thing about prediabetes is that this condition often does not cause obvious symptoms. Young people, especially those without underlying medical conditions, are often subjective and do not go for regular check-ups, so the disease is not detected, according to the health website Verywell Health (USA).

Belly fat is strongly linked to insulin resistance in people with prediabetes.

PHOTO: AI

To detect prediabetes early if unfortunately infected, young people need to take the following specific steps:

Know your risks

First, young people need to realize that prediabetes does not only occur in older people or people who are obese. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), risk factors include a family history of diabetes, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, polycystic ovary syndrome in women, or a history of gestational diabetes. If you are in the risk group, take the initiative to see your doctor for regular checkups instead of waiting for symptoms to appear.

Recognize the signs of fading

Prediabetes often does not cause typical symptoms, but there are still some small signs that young people should pay attention to. These signs are unusual thirst, frequent urination, persistent fatigue, blurred vision, and slow wound healing.

Blood test to determine prediabetes

Blood tests are the only way to determine if a person has prediabetes. Common tests include fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, and oral glucose tolerance tests. Young people at high risk of diabetes should have these tests at least once a year.

Track weight and waistline

Some research evidence suggests that losing just 5–7% of your body weight can slow or prevent prediabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes.

Therefore, young people should monitor their BMI and waist circumference. The reason is that belly fat is closely related to insulin resistance, which is a sign of prediabetes. According to Asian standards, a healthy waist circumference should be less than 90 cm for men and less than 80 cm for women, according to Verywell Health .

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nguoi-tre-can-lam-gi-de-phat-hien-som-tien-tieu-duong-185250628150555482.htm