The Risk Factors to Pre-Diabetes

There are dangerous and risk factors to pre-diabetes. It is something that should not be taken for granted. However, pre-diabetes is not as complicated as diabetes proper yet it needs some proper care.

The risk factors that increase the dangers to pre-diabetes and eventually to fully develop into diabetes include the following:

Family history. The risk of having pre-diabetes increases if a parent or sibling has type 2 diabetes.

Weight. Being overweight or obese is a main risk factor to pre-diabetes. The more fatty tissue you have, especially around the abdomen, the higher the possibility of having cells getting more resistant to insulin.

Inactivity. The less active you are, the greater your risk to pre-diabetes. Activities done physically aid in controlling weight, utilizing blood glucose as energy and making the body cells more sensitive to insulin.

Eating habits. Eating more calories than you need to maintain a healthy weight puts you at risk to pre-diabetes. A diet high in total fat and saturated fat, or too low in complex carbohydrates and fiber is another risk factor to pre-diabetes as it may lead to insulin resistance.

Age. The risk to pre-diabetes increases as you get older, especially after age 45. This may be because people likely sort to less exercise, use up muscle mass and increase weight as they get older. However, older people are not the only ones at risk to pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. The occurrence of these illness is also increasing in younger people.

Race. Although the reason is not so clear, people in some races are susciptible to the diabetes. It includes Hispanics, African-Americans, AsAmerican Indians, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders — are more likely to develop pre-diabetes.

Gestational diabetes. If you had gestational diabetes when you were pregnant, your risk factor of later developing not just pre-diabetes but full-blown diabetes is big. You are also at risk of diabetes when you have given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds or 4.1 kilograms.

Polycystic ovary in women. For women, having the syndrome of polycystic ovary is a big risk to diabetes. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a condition characterized by excess hair growth, irregular menstrual periods and obesity is big risk to diabetes.

Inadequate sleep. Some recent studies also link lack of sleep to an increased risk to insulin resistance. Research suggests that having less than 5.5 hours a night of sleep in a regular basis makes you at risk to pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes.