Prediabetic? We share some ways to help prevent diabetes.
Diabetes is affecting more and more people. By 2023, there were an estimated 40.1 million people in the U.S. with diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes. The rates have crept up in recent decades. Between 2001 and 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of the U.S. adult population with diabetes rose from 11.2% to 13.5%.
Another 115.2 million American adults in 2023 had prediabetes.
Prediabetes means someone’s blood sugar level is not high enough to be considered diabetes, but that it’s higher than normal. People with prediabetes may be able to prevent diabetes by making changes to their eating and exercise habits.
At Vanderbilt Health, Dr. Ashley Shoemaker, a pediatric endocrinologist, explains how obesity contributes to diabetes by increasing insulin resistance.
“When the body is resistant to insulin, it has to release larger amounts of insulin to do the same job. When the body can’t make enough insulin to overcome the resistance, blood sugars begin to rise, causing prediabetes or even diabetes,” she said. “Over time, the body may lose the ability to make these large amounts of insulin, causing the diabetes to worsen.”
So, what can we do to help prevent diabetes? If you or your child has been diagnosed as prediabetic, take these steps to reduce your risk today and in the future.
1. Move more: Exercising is one of the best ways to help prevent diabetes. Shoemaker recommends all children get a minimum 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. If exercise is a new activity to your family, don’t fret.
“The good news is that progression to diabetes can be slowed or even halted with lifestyle changes,” Shoemaker said.
2. Lower your weight: In addition to increasing your activity levels, weight loss can decrease insulin resistance and improve blood sugars.
“Just 10 pounds of weight loss can cut your risk of developing diabetes by half,” Shoemaker said.
Sometimes we need more than just a gym membership to help lose weight. The Vanderbilt Center for Medical Weight Loss is a comprehensive weight-loss program designed to deliver long-term results. A team of experts will help personalize a plan to get you to your weight loss goals.
3. Eat better: You’ve heard it before, but it really is important: Eat your fruits and veggies. Shoemaker recommends filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables and avoiding processed foods that contain a lot of added sugar. The nutrition label on the food’s packaging will tell you how much added sugar is in the food.
4. Avoid sugary beverages: They may taste great, but your body certainly doesn’t appreciate them.
“In particular, we recommend against regular consumption of sugary beverages, including juice, sweet tea, flavored milk, soda and sports drinks,” she said.
5. Stay in touch with your doctor: Previously, Type 1 diabetes was referred to as “juvenile diabetes” and Type 2 diabetes as “adult diabetes.” But Shoemaker says Type 2 diabetes now accounts for 20 percent of newly diagnosed diabetes cases in children.
“Pediatric Type 2 diabetes may be more rapidly progressing than adult diabetes, meaning that children may progress to insulin-requiring diabetes sooner than adults,” she says.
The Diabetes Program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is one of the largest pediatric diabetes centers in the nation. These experts provide a family-centered approach to managing diabetes for more than 3,000 children from Tennessee and eight surrounding states at the Vanderbilt Eskind Pediatric Diabetes Clinic in Nashville and locations in Franklin, Murfreesboro, Jackson, Clarksville and Cookeville.
