Pre-Diabetes: To Be Or Not To Be?

By Marci Sloane|2018-06-21T13:28:26-04:00Updated: February 18th, 2009|General Information, Pre-Diabetes|0 Comments

Pre-Diabetes

New day, new patient. Fasting glucose is 124 mg/dL. Triglycerides are 560, HDLs 28. Patient is 50 pounds overweight. Does she or doesn’t she? Is it or isn’t it? The difference between having NO diabetes, pre-diabetes and diabetes can be so minor, a fine-line.

Fasting blood glucose between 65 mg/dL and 99 is “normal”, while 100-125 is pre-diabetes, and 126 and higher (measured on two different occasions) is considered diabetes. Other numbers need to be looked at as well.

The typical profile for a person with diabetes is high triglycerides and low HDL (healthy cholesterol aka high density lipoproteins). This patient was diagnosed with pre-diabetes and yet wasn’t concerned because it was not a true, full-fledged, diabetes diagnosis.

Looking at the other numbers (triglycerides and HDLs) I suggested another glucose test and HbA1c (3-month blood sugar average). Many cases of diabetes are missed and therefore, over the years, the guidelines have been changed. We should request an “A1c” – especially if we are over the age of 45.

About the Author: Marci Sloane

Marci SloaneMarci Sloane, MS, RD, LD/N, CDE, is a registered and licensed dietitian/nutritionist and certified diabetes educator. She grew up in NYC where she graduated with a degree in Nutrition and Physiology from Teachers College at Columbia University. For over a decade, Marci managed a Diabetes and Nutrition Education Center at a multi-bed hospital in South Florida and has been counseling people on healthy eating, weight loss, and managing diseases and conditions such as: diabetes, pre-diabetes, healthy eating, heart disease, weight loss, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, hypertension, hypoglycemia and a host of other nutrition-related diseases. Marci is an American Diabetes Association Valor Award recipient and lectures frequently to the public and healthcare professionals. Marci was a featured panelist for the Sun-Sentinel's "Let's Take It Off" weight loss program, was highlighted in the Palm Beach Post: Meet Your Neighbor, "Woman's book on healthy eating uses humor as a key ingredient" and was a participant in their Diabetes Series in 2007. Marci Sloane is a member of the American Diabetes Association’s Health Professional Committee.

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