Is prediabetes reversible? Nutritionist Chen Yichun: 3 tips to help people with prediabetes control blood sugar

According to a survey conducted by the National Health Administration, the prevalence of prediabetes (fasting blood sugar levels between 100-125 mg/dL) among people over the age of 18 is about 25%, which means that one in every four people is at high risk of developing diabetes. Prediabetes is reversible. Nutritionist Chen Yichun said that improving unhealthy lifestyles, managing weight, and having regular health checks can reduce the risk of diabetes by more than 50%.

Prediabetes has no symptoms, and all three conditions are considered prediabetes

Nutritionist Chen Yichun said that most patients in the pre-diabetes stage have no symptoms and can only be detected through regular blood sugar testing. Generally speaking, a normal person's fasting blood sugar level should be between 70 and 99 mg/dl, but the following three conditions are considered prediabetes:

Fasting blood sugar level: The fasting blood sugar level is the blood sugar level after not eating for 8 hours. An index between 100 and 125 mg/dL indicates prediabetes.

Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c, A1C): It can reflect the average blood sugar status in the past 2 to 3 months. An index between 5.7 and 6.4% is considered prediabetes.

Oral glucose tolerance test: Take 75 grams of glucose solution orally and check after 2 hours to check the body's ability to metabolize sugar. An index between 140 and 199 mg/dL is considered prediabetes.

Diabetic patients' organs are soaked in sugar water, which can cause many complications and are irreversible

If patients in the prediabetes stage do not control their blood sugar well, once their fasting blood sugar exceeds 126 mg/dl, or their blood sugar exceeds 200 mg/dl 2 hours after a meal, they will experience symptoms of "three mores and one less", that is, they drink a lot, urinate a lot, and eat a lot, but their weight keeps decreasing, which means they have already developed diabetes.

Patients with diabetes are prone to irreversible systemic complications such as retinal disease, neuropathy, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and peripheral vascular disease caused by cerebral stroke, because every organ from head to toe is like being soaked in sugar water for a long time.

Nutritionist Chen Yichun pointed out that "insulin resistance" is the main cause of prediabetes.

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Why is blood sugar out of control? Insulin resistance is the main cause

The complications of diabetes are so terrible, so prevention in the "prediabetes" stage is particularly important. However, if you want to prevent diabetes, you must first understand what causes uncontrolled blood sugar. Nutritionist Chen Yichun pointed out that "insulin resistance" is the main cause of prediabetes.

"Insulin resistance" refers to the inability of the insulin receptors on the surface of the cell membrane to bind closely to insulin, so the inside of the cell cannot receive insulin notification, so glucose cannot smoothly enter the cell to be used, and remains in the blood, causing high blood sugar.

These phenomena usually occur more often in people who eat a lot of meat and fish, consume too much calories, do not exercise often, smoke, are under great stress, and have more abdominal fat. In addition, these groups often have symptoms such as high blood pressure, high triglycerides or fatty liver.

Keep in mind these 3 tips for controlling blood sugar in the pre-diabetes stage

Therefore, if you can start controlling your diet and adjusting your lifestyle habits in the "prediabetes" stage when you don't need medication, you can greatly reduce or delay the onset of diabetes. Nutritionist Chen Yichun provides the following 3 tips for controlling blood sugar:

Tip 1: Lose weight

The World Health Organization recommends using the body mass index (BMI) to measure obesity levels, which is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by the square of height in meters. The BMI value of healthy weight should be maintained between 18.5 (kg/m2) and 24 (kg/m2). When the BMI value exceeds 24 (kg/m2), it means that you are overweight and you need to lose weight as soon as possible. Usually, as long as the weight is reduced, the problem of insulin resistance can be improved.

In addition to diet control, it is recommended to engage in at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day, such as walking, brisk walking, jogging, swimming, etc., until you are a little out of breath but still able to talk, to achieve the goal of healthy weight loss. It can also be combined with muscle strength training to increase the basal metabolic rate and prevent weight gain.

Generally speaking, the rougher, less processed, and more fiber-rich a food is, the lower its GI value will be. Conversely, the more refined a food is, the higher its GI value will be. Low GI foods include: oats, wheat, barley, rice bran, vermicelli, coix seed, brown rice, lotus root, etc.

Tip 2: Eat low GI foods

The "GI" value (Glycemic index) is Chinese for "glycemic index", which represents the speed at which the food eaten causes the blood sugar to rise. The higher the GI value of food, the faster blood sugar rises. Therefore, a low GI diet is easier to maintain blood sugar stability. It can not only reduce insulin secretion and prevent the pancreas from overwork, but also reduce fat synthesis.

Generally speaking, the rougher, less processed, and more fiber-rich a food is, the lower its GI value will be. Conversely, the more refined a food is, the higher its GI value will be. Low GI foods include: oats, wheat, barley, rice bran, vermicelli, coix seed, brown rice, lotus root, etc. Nutritionist Chen Yichun also specifically reminded that in addition to choosing foods with low GI values, daily total amount management is even more important.

Tip 3: Eat more fruits and vegetables

Eat more fruits and vegetables to get dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is divided into two types: water-soluble and water-insoluble. It is rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes. Water-soluble dietary fiber can reduce the absorption of carbohydrates and fats in the small intestine, promote gastric emptying, and help slow the rise in blood sugar after meals; insoluble fiber can increase stool volume and promote intestinal peristalsis.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's daily dietary guidelines, Chinese people should consume at least 25 to 35 grams of dietary fiber per day. As long as you change your staple food to whole grains or root vegetables for three meals a day, you can get 8 to 12 grams of dietary fiber; eating 2 bowls of vegetables a day can provide 8 to 12 grams of dietary fiber; eating 2 to 3 servings of low-GI fruit can also provide 4 to 8 grams of dietary fiber. However, while taking in fiber, you must also remember to drink enough water, and fruits contain high sugar content so they should not be consumed in excess.