All About Prediabetes

This educational content related to prediabetes was created in partnership with ADCES, a founding partner of Beyond Type 2.

Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar or A1C levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

The rate of people with prediabetes has been increasing sharply for many years in the United States and across the globe.

The Center for Disease Control offers the following statistics about prediabetes:

• 96 million people aged 18 years or older have prediabetes—38 percent of the US adult population.
• 26.4 million people aged 65 years or older have prediabetes.
• 85 percent of people with prediabetes do not know they have it.
• 37.3 million people have type 2 diabetes, but 8.5 million of these people do not know they have it.

A 2012 study projected that more than 470 million people worldwide will have prediabetes by 2030.

People with prediabetes are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Screening for Prediabetes:

Prediabetes can be determined using your A1C, measuring your fasting blood sugar, or through an oral glucose tolerance test. Each test uses a specific range to determine if your blood sugar levels are high enough to qualify for a diagnosis of prediabetes.

A1C: Measures your average blood sugar over the previous three months.

• Prediabetes range: 5.7 to 6.4 percent

Fasting Blood Sugar: Your blood sugar sample after fasting overnight or after at least eight hours.

• Prediabetes range: 5.5 to 6.9 mmol/L100 to 125 mg/dL

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test: It is used to diagnose gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes. You drink a sweet drink and then your blood sugar is tested two hours later.

• Prediabetes range: 7.8 mmol/L140 mg/dL to 11.1 mmol/L199 mg/dL