Experts predict diabetes, as a disease, will reach epidemic levels in the U.S. without serious changes and early intervention. The condition “prediabetes” can develop into full-blown type 2 diabetes (the most common form of diabetes) and can increase risk of heart disease and stroke. Currently, CDC estimates that more than 1 in 3 American adults (that’s 84 million people!) now have prediabetes. Startlingly, 90 percent of them don’t even know they have it! Find out if you are at risk with this quick and easy quiz.
The good news is during the stage of prediabetes, making positive lifestyle changes—including modest weight loss of 5% to 7% (10-14 pounds for a 200-pound person) and regular physical activity (150 minutes a week of brisk walking or similar activity)—can help prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. “Without making changes, 37% of people with prediabetes are likely to progress to full-blown diabetes within 4 years and most will have the diagnosis within 10 years,” says certified diabetes educator and author Jill Weisenberger. “Diabetes prevention studies show we can change this.” A diagnosis of prediabetes really is a wake-up call that can make all the difference in whether or not prediabetes leads to the development of other chronic diseases.
For more on what you can do to prevent diabetes, check out the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) National Diabetes Prevention Program and consider the helpful book : A Complete Guide to Prediabetes written by Jill Weisenberger (see below).
About the Author
Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND is a wellness coach and respected leader in the field of nutrition with specialized expertise in helping people with diabetes and prediabetes. Before writing Prediabetes a Complete Guide, Jill wrote three other books: Diabetes Weight Loss Week by Week, The Overworked Person’s Guide to Better Nutrition and 21 Things You Need to Know about Diabetes and Your Heart.
Published in Spring 2018, Prediabetes: A Complete Guide is a science-based resource packed with actionable steps to help readers take charge of their health. The author comprehensively discusses prediabetes--a serious metabolic disorder that can involve insulin resistance, blood vessel dysfunction, fatty liver and chronic inflammation and offers concrete tips on how to improve meal planning, eat mindfully, become physically active and avoid sedentary behaviors. Readers will gain a clearer understanding of the disease and why it matters, while learning specific ways to break old habits (even when behavior change is hard) and how to make the lifestyle choices shown to help prevent or delay progression to diabetes. In the book, Weisenberger includes an appendix of her best, tried and true resources and worksheets, pulled from the vast arsenal used in her successful counseling practice, to arm the reader with the planning and tracking tools needed to develop new habits and stay on track.
This guide truly offers readers access to the knowledge and inspiration needed to empower change and reduce the risk of chronic disease.I highly recommend this action guide for anyone looking for a lifestyle reset that can actually halt prediabetes and pivot away from the chronic illnesses associated with it.
Disclosure: The reviewer received a complimentary copy of the book but did not received monetary compensation to write this review. Thoughts and opinions expresses are the reviewer's own. If you decide to use this book yourself or in your nutrition practice, please share your experience. Comment below, tag Nutrition Connections LLC on facebook, or tweet @karenbuch using #FoodNewsReviews.