Prediabetes is incredibly common—an estimated 88 million U.S adults met the criteria for the condition in 2018[1]. If you’ve been diagnosed with prediabetes, the nutrition choices you make now are more important than ever, as it could mean the difference between getting your blood sugars stabilized within a healthful range and developing type 2 diabetes.
Here’s what you need to know about the role nutrition plays in prediabetes, as well as expert-backed guidance on which foods to eat with this condition.
What Is Prediabetes?
Prediabetes is a condition in which the body isn’t able to metabolize carbohydrates normally, causing blood sugar levels to become high—but not high enough to meet the criteria for a diagnosis of diabetes.
Blood sugar, or blood glucose, is the amount of glucose in your blood. The pancreas plays a key role in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels in your body through its production of insulin, glucagon and other hormones. Insulin acts like a key that allows glucose in your blood to enter your cells. Your cells use that glucose for energy.
Many people with prediabetes (or type 2 diabetes) either don’t have enough insulin or are insulin resistant, meaning their cells don’t respond normally to insulin and glucose can’t enter the cells as easily. When glucose can’t enter the cells, it builds up in the blood, leading to high blood sugar. The pancreas produces more insulin to compensate, but eventually isn’t able to make enough, causing blood sugar to rise.
Health Complications of Prediabetes
Though most people with prediabetes have no symptoms, it’s a serious health condition that puts you at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Despite its name, “prediabetes is not a pre-problem,” notes Virginia-based Jill Weisenberger, a registered dietitian nutritionist and creator of the The Prediabetes Meal Planning Crash Course. “It’s actually a sign that you’ve had a metabolic problem for some time, but only recently has your pancreas been unable to keep up with your blood sugar needs,” she explains.
When prediabetes progresses to type 2 diabetes, the risk of serious health problems increases even more. These complications can include kidney disease, blindness and nerve damage, along with peripheral arterial disease and stroke.
How Does Diet Impact Prediabetes?
If you have prediabetes, the foods you eat play a significant role in whether you will develop type 2 diabetes. While you cannot control certain risk factors for prediabetes like genetics, ethnicity and age, “nutrition is one of the modifiable risk factors for the development of diabetes,” notes Amanda Lane, a registered dietitian, diabetes education specialist and founder of Healthful Lane Nutrition in Minnesota.
