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Key Takeaways
- Prediabetes is a condition where your blood sugar is elevated but you haven’t yet developed type 2 diabetes.
- Prediabetes is usually caused by lifestyle choices and can be reversed if changes are made in diet and lifestyle.
- Reversing prediabetes can take some time and have a major impact on long-term health.
How To Reverse Prediabetes: Practical Steps and Tips
Many risk factors can make you more predisposed to developing prediabetes. However, healthy dietary and lifestyle choices can help you avoid the condition altogether. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with prediabetes, the following steps can help you overcome that diagnosis.
What Causes Prediabetes?
Prediabetes indicates that you could be on your way to developing type 2 diabetes. Many individuals do not experience noticeable symptoms of prediabetes, making it essential to understand the risk factors and take preventive measures. This condition develops slowly over time and is usually related to poor lifestyle choices.
The most common cause of prediabetes is insulin resistance, which occurs when your body’s cells don’t respond properly to insulin—the hormone that helps maintain normal blood sugar levels within a healthy range. In response, your pancreas may increase insulin levels to compensate, but over time, your blood sugar still becomes elevated. The following risk factors can increase your likelihood of developing prediabetes:
- Genetic Predisposition: Having a family history of diabetes can increase your risk of developing prediabetes.
- Being Overweight: Having excess weight body fat can place you at risk of developing prediabetes.
- Age: Especially beyond age 45, the risk of developing prediabetes increases.
- Prescription Medications: Some prescription medications like steroids can increase blood sugar levels.
- Hormonal Issues: Certain hormonal disorders like hypothyroidism can place you at a higher risk of developing prediabetes.
- Unhealthy Lifestyle: Eating unhealthy foods, chronic stress, poor sleep, and sedentary habits can all increase your risk of developing prediabetes.
Can Prediabetes Be Completely Reversed?
With the right lifestyle changes, prediabetes can be completely reversed. Studies have found that lifestyle changes are the most effective way to reverse prediabetes. Those studies emphasize the importance of reversing prediabetes before it progresses to diabetes and requires medical intervention. Lifestyle changes that can help reverse prediabetes include:
- Exercise
- Diet
- Weight loss
- Stress management
- Healthy sleep
Reversing prediabetes will benefit you long term. It will reduce your risk of the onset of type 2 diabetes and chronic diseases like heart disease, improve your energy levels, support overall health, help maintain healthy blood pressure, and promote overall wellness.
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How To Treat Prediabetes
If your doctor recently told you that your blood work showed signs of prediabetes, there’s no need to panic. Taking intentional steps to support your overall health can reverse prediabetes, eliminate your risk of diabetes and help you feel your best.
Adopting a Healthy Diet
To reverse prediabetes you’ll want to focus on eating a low-sugar, high-fiber diet that is rich in nutrient-dense foods. While there is no specific diet for reversing prediabetes, following certain guidelines can aid you in the process. Some of the best foods for reversing prediabetes include:
- Whole Grains: Whole grains are a source of complex carbohydrates, which are absorbed more slowly than simple and refined carbohydrates like white bread. This helps keep blood sugar levels stable rather than causing spikes in blood sugar that can exacerbate prediabetes.
- Lean Proteins: Protein is important to include in meals to help manage blood sugar levels because it slows the release of glucose into the bloodstream. Eating enough protein can also help with healthy weight management by helping you feel full for longer.
- Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. It is important to be mindful of fruit consumption and enjoy fruit in moderation since it is high in sugar. Eating a variety of nutritious vegetables, like leafy greens and broccoli, can help add nutrients to your diet without causing blood sugar to spike. Focus on non-starchy vegetables like kale, spinach, broccoli, bell peppers, and asparagus.
- Healthy Fats: Including healthy fats in your diet can help improve blood sugar control and keep you feeling full for longer. Unsaturated fats like avocados, nuts and seeds, olive oil, and fatty fish are all recommended for people with prediabetes.
Overall, you’ll want to ensure that you are eating a good variety of nutrient-dense foods. Your meals should be well balanced with sources of protein and carbohydrates while remaining low in sugar and limiting processed foods.
In addition to eating the right foods, you’ll want to make sure to avoid the wrong foods. Foods to avoid if you have prediabetes include:
- Refined Sugars: Simple carbohydrates and refined carbohydrates—such as white bread, pasta, and sugar—are absorbed quickly by the body and cause rapid increases in blood sugar levels. They also lack nutritional content while being calorie-dense.
- Highly Processed Foods: Processed foods like cookies, crackers and chips are usually high in salt and sugar but low in nutrients. Packaged foods often have harmful additives that don’t support a healthy diet.
- Unhealthy Fats: Saturated and trans fats found in foods like processed meats, high-fat dairy products and fried foods can be harmful to health. They can worsen prediabetes and other health conditions.
- Alcohol: Alcohol is high in sugar which can raise your blood glucose levels—a bad scenario if you already have prediabetes.
Regular Physical Activity
Living a sedentary lifestyle is a common and major risk factor for prediabetes. Exercising regularly supports overall health by improving insulin sensitivity, regulating blood sugar and managing body weight. It is important for everyone to exercise, especially those who have prediabetes. Some types of moderate-intensity exercise that are great for reversing prediabetes include walking, swimming, cycling and strength training. It is recommended that you exercise at least 5 days a week for about 30 minutes if you have prediabetes. This amounts to approximately 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week.
Managing Weight Effectively
Because excess body fat can lead to insulin resistance, it is important to take steps to manage your weight if you have prediabetes. Make gradual changes to support weight loss, such as exercising regularly and eating balanced meals. Eat healthy snacks and try to avoid overeating. Remember that weight loss will take time but will be worth it.
Importance of Sleep and Stress Management
Healthy sleep habits are important for blood sugar regulation and managing prediabetes. Getting the right amount of deep sleep helps to improve blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. If you have a hard time getting adequate sleep, you may need to try some mindfulness activities, like meditation or breathwork, to help manage stress and calm down before going to sleep.
Alcohol, Tobacco and Prediabetes
Using alcohol and tobacco can worsen prediabetes since these substances can impair insulin sensitivity. These substances cause inflammation in the pancreas and increase blood sugar levels. Alcohol can make insulin resistance worse and even disrupt the functioning of the pancreas and liver, which both help with regulating blood sugar. Using tobacco and nicotine products can also raise blood sugar levels and contribute to insulin resistance. They also damage blood vessels which can interfere with insulin being transported to the cells.
Monitoring and Tracking Progress
As you work towards reversing prediabetes, you’ll want to take some steps to help track your progress along the way. Pay attention to how you’re feeling and what sort of changes you’re making. You can track your dietary changes and exercise progress using a health journal or app. Your doctor may recommend you monitor your blood sugar levels and they will likely want to do ongoing blood work to monitor your health.
Using Blood Glucose Monitors and Tests
Your doctor will recommend regular blood work to continue monitoring your fasting blood glucose level and hemoglobin A1C. Your A1C shows your average blood sugar level over the last 3 months. Fasting glucose levels help show if your blood sugar is elevated before you eat anything in the morning. You may want to self-monitor your blood glucose levels to ensure that your blood sugar is staying where it should and see if the steps you’re taking are helping. Work with your doctor to find the best monitoring technique.
How Long Does It Take to Reverse Prediabetes – Setting Realistic Goals
Fully reversing prediabetes can take anywhere from a few months to a few years with several influential factors. These factors include your baseline health, any other underlying health conditions and the consistency of the lifestyle changes you make.
It can be hard to stick to new habits like exercising regularly and eating healthy. This is why working with a provider closely can help keep you on track so that you can see real changes in your health.
It is important to be realistic with goals and track your progress closely. Setting achievable short-term goals can help keep you on track. It is likely that you will not see an immediate change in your blood sugar levels, but over time you will if you commit to your new lifestyle habits and follow your doctor’s recommendations.
FAQs About Reversing Prediabetes
What Is the Fastest Way To Reverse Prediabetes?
The most effective way to reverse prediabetes is making significant lifestyle changes. These involve weight loss, dietary changes, consistent exercise and adequate sleep. Quitting unhealthy habits like drinking alcohol and smoking will also help to quickly reverse prediabetes. The timeline for reversing prediabetes will vary for each individual and usually takes some time.
How Long Does It Take to Reverse Prediabetes With Diet and Exercise?
Reversing prediabetes with diet and exercise will usually take several months, but may take years. This timeline is variable and will depend on your overall health when you start the process and how consistent you are in your lifestyle changes. Some people may see blood sugar levels normalize quickly while others may take longer.
Are Eggs Good for Prediabetes?
Yes, eggs are a part of a healthy and well-rounded diet for people with prediabetes. Eggs are beneficial since they are nutrient-dense and high in protein. Eating eggs can help with blood sugar regulation, weight loss and supporting heart health. However, eggs should be eaten in moderation, as eating too many has been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Long-Term Strategies for Maintaining a Prediabetes-Free Lifestyle
If you want to maintain the positive benefits of reversing prediabetes then you will have to commit to your lifestyle changes long-term. To help your healthy habits last, try to take small steps and make realistic goals. If you do happen to “fall off the wagon” with your healthy habits, don’t be afraid to get started again. Keep track of your health through regular checkups with your provider and use a journal or app to track your diet, exercise and blood sugar levels.
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Recognizing When Professional Help Is Required
When it comes to reversing prediabetes, you’re going to be accountable for making changes in your lifestyle. However, you’ll still need to work closely with a skilled healthcare provider to get the best recommendations for making progress and to keep track of your bloodwork throughout the process.
If prediabetes is ignored, it can progress to type 2 diabetes and lead to further health complications down the line. It is important to stay on top of regular health checkups with your provider to ensure that your lifestyle habits are serving you well and to be assisted in making changes where needed.
Considering UCF Health Faculty Physician Practice for Prediabetes Support
Seeking professional guidance from the healthcare providers at UCF Health Faculty Physician Practice can help ensure that you are successful in your journey to reversing prediabetes. Our endocrinologists are skilled in helping manage conditions like type 2 diabetes and prediabetes and can give you the most up-to-date recommendations. Schedule your visit today.