Talking about diabetes can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be.

This month, we’re joining the conversation on diabetes to help raise awareness of the condition, and importantly, how it can be diagnosed, managed, and even prevented.

Today, our focus is on a lesser-known variant of the chronic illness and one which you may not have heard of – prediabetes.

A third of all adults in the UK have prediabetes and with the UK’s estimated 3.8million diabetics estimated to climb to 5million by 2025 – largely as a result of obesity and the ageing population – it’s more important than ever to check if you’re suffering from this pre-cursor to diabetes.

WHAT IS PREDIABETES?

Illness doesn’t just happen overnight. Over time, your body begins to display symptoms but, often, irregularly has been present for some time. Prediabetes is an early indicator of type 2 diabetes which is characterised by the presence of blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be classed as diabetes.

For this reason, prediabetes is often described as the “grey area” between normal blood sugar and diabetic levels. In the UK, around 7 million people are estimated to have prediabetes and thus have a high risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF PREDIABETES?

93% of the 60 million people with prediabetes globally are unaware they have it. This is because the condition often develops gradually without any warning signs or symptoms. In many cases, the sufferer only learns of their diabetic state once the symptoms of type 2 diabetes start to appear.

TESTING FOR PREDIABETES

Traditional biomarker tests used to diagnose type 2 diabetes include Fasting Plasma Glucose, Oral Glucose Tolerance Test, and HbA1c.  However, these cannot be utilised as tests for prediabetes, as beta cell damage has already occurred, and insulin insensitivity is already underway.

Adiponectin, a hormone responsible for regulating glucose metabolism has proven to be a strong predictor of type 2 diabetes at a crucial stage – before it has fully manifested.

Adiponectin’s ability to diagnose prediabetes is due to its relationship with a hazardous type of fat within the body which wraps around internal organs. This visceral fat is particularly dangerous because it can occur even within individuals deemed to have a healthy waist circumference, making them appear deceptively healthy simply because they are slim.

By measuring Adiponectin levels, clinicians can identify someone with high levels of visceral fat and therefore at risk of type 2 diabetes long before they would be identified by tests which measure blood sugar levels.

THE BENEFIT OF A PREDIABETES DIAGNOSIS

Whilst being diagnosed with prediabetes may come as a real shock, it offers a unique opportunity for lifestyle modification and prevention that is often not possible with other illnesses.

And this is because prediabetes is reversible. In fact, up to 80% of all cases of type 2 diabetes are preventable – if detected early. We want to help more and more people understand their health as early as possible so they can take reversible action now when there’s the best chance of a positive outcome.

With this information at your disposal, you can then take the necessary action to stop diabetes in its tracks.

For more information about Adiponectin; please visit https://www.randox.com/adiponectin/

To book the world’s most advanced health check which assess up to 350 different indicators of disease at their very earliest stage, including diabetes, visit www.randoxhealth.com

For further information, please contact Randox PR by emailing randoxpr@randox.com or phoning 028 9442 2413.