Diabetes has become one of the biggest economic burdens of India, a study has found. As per the new international study by researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and the Vienna University of Economics and Business in Austria found that India faces the second highest- economic burden due to diabetes, with the United States in the first place and China in the third spot. This findings of this study is important because a recent nationwide study found that about 11.4% of the population is diabetic and approximately 15.3%, that’s roughly 136 million people, have prediabetes. That’s way more than most of us expect. Diabetes has a reputation for being serious and complicated. But borderline diabetes, also called prediabetes, is actually the stage where you have the most control. You can still steer things back on track. You might feel completely fine, have no symptoms at all, and think, “This can’t be happening to me.” But your body is quietly struggling to manage blood sugar levels.“Prediabetes significantly increases the chances of development of type 2 diabetes with around 30% of the individuals may develop diabetes within three to five years and up to 60 to 70 percent of the people may develop diabetes over their lifetime,” Dr. Saurav Shishir Agrawal, Senior Consultant-Endocrinology & Diabetes, Medanta Hospital Noida told TOI Health.
What signs do people usually miss?
Prediabetes is generally asymptomatic but some people can have signs and symptoms like a bit of tiredness, change in vision or maybe increased frequency of urination. What numbers should people look at, fasting sugar, HbA1c, post-meal sugar, and which one matters most?All the three numbers including fasting sugar, post-meal sugar and HbA1c are important but HbA1c gives the best integrated measurement of blood glucose levels and if the HbA1c is ranging between 5.7 to 6.5 it means the individual has prediabetes with the HbA1c increasing more than equal to 6.5 suggest a development of diabetes.
Is borderline diabetes reversible?
Borderline diabetes is reversible. Long-term studies have shown that if an individual maintains a healthy weight and loses around five to seven percent of body weight and decreases the calorie content the borderline diabetes or prediabetes can be reversed or prevented from progressing to diabetes.
What role does lifestyle play beyond just “cutting sugar”?
Lifestyle includes not only cutting sugar but decreasing the calorie content of our diet, taking meals at regularly spaced intervals, avoiding too much of processed food, simple carbohydrates, juices, canned foods and also maintaining a healthy weight trying to exercise or do a moderate intensity aerobic activity for at least 40 to 60 minutes a day.
What are the biggest myths people believe about borderline diabetes that actually make things worse?
The biggest myth about borderline diabetes is that it probably will not progress to type 2 diabetes but it is a normal finding in individuals. If there is one change which I wish to make with every individual with borderline diabetes this will be to make them exercise or at least do a form of brisk walk for at least 40 to 60 minutes a day.So, if your doctor tells you your blood sugar is borderline high, don’t panic. Take it seriously, yes, but don’t treat it like a sentence. Learn what your body needs, make small changes, and check in with your doctor. The earlier you act, the better the results. You’re not doomed to diabetes, you’re just being given a chance to change the story.
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