​Prediabetes is like a warning shot - your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not quite at type 2 diabetes levels yet. But don't ignore the warning signs! Without making a change, you could be on the fast track to type 2 diabetes, which can wreak havoc on your body.
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The good news is that you're not powerless. You can take control of your health by eating healthy, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight. Not only can these habits bring your blood sugar levels back to normal, but they can also prevent type 2 diabetes from making an unwelcome entrance. Don't let prediabetes be the boss of you!

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Symptoms 

Prediabetes doesn't usually have any signs or symptoms.
One possible sign of prediabetes is darkened skin on certain parts of the body. Affected areas can include the neck, armpits and groin.
Classic signs and symptoms that suggest you've moved from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes include:
Prediabetes is sneaky and often is hard to pinpoint. However, there are a few clues it might leave behind, like darkened skin patches in certain areas like your neck, armpits, and groin.
But, if prediabetes decides to take a nosedive into full-blown type 2 diabetes, it's going to make its presence known! Expect some classic symptoms like:

• Increased thirst
• Frequent urination
• Increased hunger
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Numbness or tingling in the feet or hands
• Frequent infections
• Slow-healing sores
• Unintended weight loss

When to see a doctor
It's important to consult with your healthcare provider if you're experiencing symptoms or are concerned about diabetes. If you have any risk factors for diabetes, consider inquiring about blood sugar screening during your next checkup.

Causes

Understanding Prediabetes: Causes and Effects
Although the precise cause of prediabetes is still not fully understood, it is thought that genetics and family history play a significant role. One thing is clear: people with prediabetes have difficulty processing glucose, or sugar, in the body.
Most of the glucose in your body comes from the food you eat, which is then converted to sugar in the bloodstream. Insulin, produced by the pancreas gland, helps sugar enter your cells and reduces the sugar level in your blood. When you eat, your pancreas releases insulin into your bloodstream, but it slows down when your blood sugar levels drop.
However, if you have prediabetes, this process doesn't work as well. As a result, sugar builds up in your bloodstream instead of fueling your cells, leading to insulin resistance. This can be caused by either a lack of insulin production by the pancreas, or cells that resist insulin and allow less sugar in.

Risk Factors

Let's decode the clues to staying ahead of prediabetes:

• Weight: If you're carrying extra love handles, listen up! The more fat cells you have, especially in your belly zone, the harder it is for insulin to do its thing.
• Waist size: Here's another reason to keep your waistline in check. Men with a waist over 40 inches and women over 35 inches are more likely to struggle with insulin resistance.
• Diet: What you eat can make a big difference. Indulging in red meat, processed meats, and sugar-loaded drinks can raise your risk of prediabetes.
• Inactivity: being less active can increase the likelihood of prediabetes.
• Age: the risk of prediabetes increases after the age of 35, even though diabetes can develop at any age.
• Family history: if a parent or sibling has type 2 diabetes, the risk of prediabetes is higher.
• Race or ethnicity: certain ethnic groups, such as Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Asian American people, are more susceptible to developing prediabetes, although the reason behind this is unknown.
• Gestational diabetes: if a woman had gestational diabetes during pregnancy, both she and her child are at higher risk of developing prediabetes.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome: Women with this common condition, which includes symptoms such as irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth, and obesity, have a higher risk of prediabetes.
• Sleep: Obstructive sleep apnea, which disrupts sleep repeatedly, can increase the risk of insulin resistance. Additionally, those who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea.
• Tobacco smoke:  Smoking may increase insulin resistance and the risk of type 2 diabetes, particularly in people with prediabetes. Moreover, smoking also raises the risk of complications associated with diabetes.

There are additional factors linked to a higher risk of prediabetes, including:

• High blood pressure
• Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, also known as the "good" cholesterol
• High levels of triglycerides, a specific type of fat found in your blood.

Metabolic syndrome
When obesity cozies up with certain conditions, like insulin resistance, it could boost your chances of getting diabetes, not to mention heart disease and stroke. Experts tag this cluster of three or more conditions as metabolic syndrome:

• High blood pressure
• Low levels of HDL
• High triglycerides
• High blood sugar levels
• Large waist size

Complications

Don't underestimate the power of prediabetes! It's no joke and can cause serious harm to your heart, blood vessels, and kidneys, even before reaching type 2 diabetes. Scarily, prediabetes is also besties with silent heart attacks, so don't let it sneak up on you.
And if that wasn't enough, prediabetes can also transform into type 2 diabetes, which can bring a host of not-so-fun issues such as:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Kidney disease
• Nerve damage
• Fatty liver disease
• Eye damage, including loss of vision
• Amputations

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Don't let diabetes steal your spotlight! Even if it's running in the family, you can take the reins with these healthy habits:

• Nurture your body with healthy eats
• Get your groove on with exercise
• Shed those extra pounds
• Keep tabs on your blood pressure and cholesterol
• Say "no thanks" to smoking

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