Are you carrying around the prediabetes time bomb?

If you heard that 79 million people were at risk for a chronic condition that could lead to blindness, dementia and loss of limbs, but they had no idea they were carrying around a ticking time bomb, you’d want to know if you, your family and neighbors were imperiled. Well, listen up. According to a new campaign launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 81% of the 98 million Americans with prediabetes have no idea. That puts all those folks at risk for premature cardiovascular disease as well as stroke and Type 2 diabetes, with all its serious complications. Many folks with prediabetes progress to fullblown diabetes within five years.

You can discover if you have prediabetes with a simple blood test; a fasting blood sugar level of 100 to 125 mg/dl means you have the condition. So, whatever your age, if you have a family history of diabetes, are overweight, and/ or don’t get much physical activity, get tested. If you are diagnosed with it, focus on this: Prediabetes gives you the opportunity to pre-vent-diabetes.

To reverse prediabetes: Lose 5% to 7% of your body weight; get 150 to 300 minutes of physical activity weekly, including strength-training; manage stress with a posse and purpose; and eat a fish and plant-based diet that ditches red and processed meats, added sugars and ultra-processed foods. (The folks who establish the federal nutritional guidelines are finally considering adding a warning against highly processed foods.) Adopting those changes today can help you dodge the life-shortening complications of Type 2 diabetes tomorrow.