The Risk Factors of Pre Diabetes

Pre diabetes (or borderline diabetes) is not only associated with elevated blood sugar level. It is also connected with insulin resistance and excessive fat accumulation. However, functional anomalies within the body are not the only factor connected with it. The medical community has determined that there are underlying risk factors which are possible contributor to its occurrence on certain individuals.



The risk factors of pre diabetes are weight, age, family history, inadequate sleep, inactivity, and metabolic syndrome. The primary risk factor is weight because the more weight you gain the higher possibility of fat accumulation especially in the abdominal area. This can result to insulin resistance by the cells. Another risk factor is age which is connected to inactivity. People tend to be inactive as they start to reach the age of 45. Lesser activities mean lesser ways to use the glucose as energy.



Family history is also an important factor because borderline diabetes can be inherited and the incidence of occurrence is higher to persons with parents and other family members who have the same condition. Recent studies have also revealed that inadequate sleep is quite connected to borderline diabetes. Inadequate sleep triggers insulin resistance, and therefore people who sleep inadequate hours are more likely to be pre diabetic. Metabolic syndrome which is described as insulin resistance triggered by high blood pressure, high triglyceride level, and low good cholesterol level is also an underlying risk factor.



There are also factors of diabetes which are significant to women, gestational diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy and women who developed this condition are of higher risks of being diabetic and contracting diabetes later in their lives. A common sign that a woman has gestational diabetes is giving birth to a child weighing more than 9 pounds. Another sex-dependent risk factor is polycystic ovary syndrome which is characterized by irregular menstrual periods, excessive hair growth and obesity. A woman with this condition has higher chances of being pre diabetic.



Some medical professionals associate these risk factors with the so-called social lifestyle factor like smoking, alcoholism and taking of prohibited drugs. Although these are not primary inhibitors of pre diabetes, they still contribute to the development of the condition. People who are engaged in these social stressors might develop depression and anxiety which can later be manifested through loss of interest in activities like exercises leading to gain weight. Social factors are indeed underlying secondary risk factors. Another proof is that, majority of people who are hooked on taking prohibited drugs experience an increase in appetite. Increased appetite leads to increased frequency of eating. More food taken means more sugar produced, the higher the risk of being pre diabetic and insulin resistant.



Pre diabetes risk factors are worth your attention. These risk factors can be used as your guideline to make necessary adjustments to your lifestyle. The implementation of healthy eating habits, and engaging in activities like exercises which uses the sugar in your blood as energy, are important steps to alleviate the chances of being pre diabetic.

Living With Diabetes - Risk Factors Of Diabetes

Individuals who are known to be at a high risk for diabetes should undergo frequent testing for signs of diabetes. These individuals need to understand the risk factors associated with a diabetic condition. These factors include, among other things, the body's inability to regulate acidity in the blood sugar levels and regulate insulin and glucose hormones. A diet high in fats that raise bad levels of cholesterol coupled with little to no exercise also puts these individuals at a high risk for diabetes.



Diabetes has been considered a high risk factor for conditions such as heart disease, which is a coronary disease that causes the narrowing of the blood vessels carrying oxygen and blood to the heart. Heart disease has been labeled as the number one cause of death in the U.S. Individuals with heart disease become more and more limited and their risks for heart attacks increase drastically. Strokes are also common with individuals who have heart disease. Heart disease can also be a genetic disease. Diabetes is linked to heart disease, and heart disease is linked to other health problems, such as high cholesterol and hypertension.



Diabetes can become a vessel for these different conditions. There are good cholesterol levels (HDL) and bad cholesterol levels (LDL) in the body. High levels of bad cholesterol result in the cholesterol in the blood building up and sticking to the sides of the arteries. This plaque is a fat-like substance that mimics heart disease in that it narrows the vessels and can even block them. High cholesterol levels put an individual at high risk for hypertension. Diabetes is linked to those high risk factors for hypertension.



Linked to diabetes and high cholesterol levels, hypertension is known as the silent killer. Directly linked to the blood pressure flowing through the arteries, hypertension complications are increased when the walls of the arteries have been blocked or narrowed by high cholesterol levels. Essentially, this increases the blood pressure, and an individual is then said to have high blood pressure. High blood pressure is another symptom of heart disease and can also lead to heart attacks and strokes.



Not only does diabetes predispose individuals to high risks diseases, but environmental risk factors are directly tied in with diabetic conditions. According to as Stanford study, environmental factors, like chemicals in the soil and water around an individual, will increase the risk of developing diabetes. Three environmental elements were identified as being directly correlated with the increased risk of diabetes type II. Two elements identified were pesticides that contain heptachlor epoxide and PCBS. Surprisingly, the third element is a certain form of vitamin E, which is thought to have antioxidant factor for helping diabetic conditions. The clue may be in the potential toxicity of the build up of this vitamin, which is naturally found in large quantities in the tissues and blood of the body.



Environmental risk factors are more predisposed in type II diabetes than in type I diabetes. Sedentary lifestyles, high caloric intakes, very little exercise and a family history of diabetes, coupled with exposures to certain environmental factors, are deemed high risk factors for individuals to develop diabetic conditions.