One of the most impactful risk factors for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is type 2 diabetes, also referred to as Diabetes Mellitus. In the United States, nearly 24 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation. Perhaps even more alarming is the fact that approximately 79 million Americans are estimated to have a condition called “prediabetes,” and many don’t even know about it.
What is Prediabetes?
Diabetes (the diabetes mellitus type) does not usually occur without warning. In fact, there is a condition called prediabetes that involves some early warning signs that diabetes could soon be impending if a person does not change their diet and lifestyle. Prediabetes is a condition that involves higher than normal blood sugar levels - but not quite high enough to warrant a full-blown diagnosis of diabetes. What’s happening in the body at this early stage of the disease is that there isn’t enough insulin to properly carry the glucose into the cells for energy. Another possible scenario of what is physiologically taking place during prediabetes is a condition called “insulin resistance.” Insulin resistance involves the inability of the muscle, fat and liver cells to respond properly to insulin; so, more insulin is needed in order to carry the glucose into the cells. Either way, prediabetes can be a red flag indicating that diabetes is likely to occur sometime down the road.
Can Diabetes be Prevented?
Is there something that can be done to prevent full blown type II diabetes, once prediabetes is diagnosed? The medical experts say there is. According to Dr. Vivian Fonseca, MD, Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, and Chief of Endocrinology at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, “walking 30 minutes a day and reducing weight by 5 percent can decrease the risk [of getting type 2 diabetes] by 60 percent over three years.” While there are medications that have the same effect, lifestyle change is less expensive and has fewer side effects. Reducing your weight is vital to the prevention of diabetes. “One of the links with obesity is that fat induces a mild low-grade inflammation throughout the body that contributes to heart disease and diabetes,” Fonseca explains. If lifestyle and diet changes are not implemented, the development of diabetes within 10 years after prediabetes diagnosis is likely.
When to Get Tested For Diabetes
Prediabetes doesn’t always present with signs and symptoms in the very early stages of the condition. Common signs of diabetes are increased thirst, increased hunger and increased urination; but, not all people experience these early signs. Given the fact that a person can have prediabetes and not even be aware of it, it’s vital to get screened for diabetes. If you’re an Alzheimer’s caregiver, you and your loved one with AD should get checked annually. The American Diabetes Association says the following factors warrant getting tested:
-Any person 45 or older
-Anyone with a family history of diabetes
-Those with a physically inactive lifestyle
-People with a Native American, Hispanic or African American heritage
-High blood pressure or treatment for high blood pressure
-Dark, velvety rash around the armpits or neck
-History of heart disease
If you test positive for prediabetes, it’s important to get another screening each year (or every other year, depending on your physician’s recommendation).
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