2 in 5 Americans have pre-diabetic symptoms. Pre-diabetes is associated with a variety of serious medical conditions, including heart disease, stroke, and, of course, diabetes. It’s vital to know the symptoms of pre-diabetes and always watch for their development. If you catch the symptoms early on, you can drastically reduce your chances of reaching pre-diabetes and eventually diabetes. Failure to do so, however, has major consequences.
In this article, we outline the key signs of pre-diabetes that you must not ignore. Let’s walk you through a list of them so that you can do a self-check right now and then keep on the lookout for any of them developing.
FEELING TIRED AFTER EATING
The first symptom to be on the lookout for is if you start to feel very tired and sluggish after a meal containing carbohydrates. If you eat carbs and your body isn’t processing them correctly, this can lead to ongoing fatigue and muscle weakness.
While most people will feel tired if they eat a very high carb meal or simply too many calories at once, if you are noticing this even after a lighter meal containing 25-50 grams of carbohydrates, it could be a sign that something’s up.
HIGH CRAVINGS FOR CARBOHYDRATES
At the same time, if you often find yourself craving carbohydrates or sugar foods for that matter, this too can be a sign of diabetes. Realize that there is a difference though between a psychological craving because you simply have come to love sugar-dense foods and a feeling like you must eat carbohydrates because your blood sugar is low.
If you feel shaky, jittery, anxious, or like you might faint, these are all classic signs of low blood glucose levels and could indicate your body isn’t responding to insulin as it should.
EXCESS BODY WEIGHT FOCUSED AROUND THE STOMACH
The next symptom to be aware of is excess fat, particularly focused around the midsection. If you have more of an apple shape to your body than a pear, you are holding your fat in areas that are particularly dangerous for those who are trying to fend off diabetes.
Apple shapes store fat in central locations around the organs, which can cause a higher likelihood of insulin resistance developing, which will then lead to full blown diabetes.
Not to mention fat in this region is also far more dangerous as far as heart disease is concerned, so that’s yet another reason to be aiming to lose weight if this is where you’re storing it.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Finally, if you have high blood pressure levels, this should not go ignored. Many people tend to think of high blood pressure as being a sign for heart disease, but in addition to that, it’s also a sure-fire sign diabetes could be right around the corner.
High blood pressure levels along with elevated triglycerides and cholesterol are also all a sign of pre-diabetes.
So keep these warning symptoms in mind and be on the lookout for them at all times. If you notice any appearing, take action immediately to reverse them so that you don’t become impacted by type 2 diabetes.
DR. ZAYED