Prediabetes, What Your Shoppers Need to Know

Articles
November 03, 2016

Diabetes is making headlines, but not many people are talking about the precursor, prediabetes – find out here what you need to know to protect your health

Diabetes is making headlines, but not many people are talking about the precursor, prediabetes – find out some must know tips you can share with your shoppers to help protect their health.

It’s National Diabetes Month and SupermarketGuru wants to make sure you and your staff are up to speed on how shoppers can make better choices for their health. Type 2 Diabetes is when blood sugar (glucose) levels are increased, which can lead to permanent damage to heart, eye, kidney, nerve and other tissue.

Help your shoppers catch rising blood sugar levels before they become problematic. Make your shoppers aware of prediabetes, which if not controlled through diet and lifestyle changes can lead to type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is when blood glucose (sugar) levels are consistently higher than what is considered normal, but not elevated enough to qualify as type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes has its own health consequences.

The CDC estimate that a staggering 86 million Americans over the age of 20 have prediabetes. According to experts, prediabetes can double the risk for cardiovascular disease. A combination of excess body fat, a sedentary lifestyle, and family history all factor into prediabetes. While family history is a risk factor, changing you diet and lifestyle can make a world of a difference in your physiology.

It's important to encourage shoppers to get their glucose tested on a regular basis; there are two simple tests: fasting blood glucose, which offers a ‘snapshot’ of the glucose in your blood after going without food for about 8-9 hours, and A1C, which provides an average amount of glucose in the blood over the past three to four months. Prediabetes is typically symptom-free, but some may feel tired regularly.

Some people with prediabetes have a normal fasting glucose level. Knowing your A1C provides a more accurate picture.

Fasting blood glucose: Normal: below 100 mg/dL after an overnight fast and before eating. Prediabetic: 100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) 

A1C: Normal: 5.6% or below. Prediabetic: 5.7% to 6.4% 

Ask for the exact numbers from your blood test, so you can be clear just where you stand.

Stay tuned for a Prediabetes Shopping List you can share with you shoppers.

For more information visit the American Diabetes Association