The surprising real cause of prediabetes (and how to reverse it)
Prediabetes is a warning condition characterized by elevated blood sugar levels that significantly increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Experts emphasize that lifestyle changes can effectively reverse the condition before it progresses.
Why it matters
With over half a billion adults affected globally, understanding prediabetes is critical for public health and preventing chronic disease burdens.
The American TV presenter and producer Oprah Winfrey’s long-term battle with her weight is well documented. Her struggles went on for years and saw her yo-yo wildly between a low of 145lbs and a high of 237lbs (65-107kg).
But a medical diagnosis that came in 2015 encouraged her to swap the crash dieting for lasting lifestyle changes.
“I was prediabetic, and my cholesterol numbers were high,” Winfrey recalls in a recent interview with People magazine.
Prediabetes is a condition in which a person’s blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but they don’t meet the threshold for disease or display any of its symptoms.
“It’s a warning phase,” says Dr Jason Fung , a kidney specialist and author of The Diabetes Code . “It emphasises that someone is at risk of developing diabetes.”
Health organisations worldwide define prediabetes slightly differently.
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