This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Aundrea Loftley about reversing prediabetes through lifestyle changes. Dr. Loftley is an Associate Professor of Medicine and an endocrinologist at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. It's estimated that 84 million adults in the U.S. have prediabetes, and the vast majority of these individuals may not be aware that they have this condition. Doctor Dr. Aundrea Loftley is here to talk about prediabetes. Doctor Loftley is an Associate Professor of Medicine and an endocrinologist at MUSC. Doctor Loftley, tell us about prediabetes.
Dr. Loftley: Prediabetes is essentially a condition in which the blood sugars are higher than they should be. So, higher than normal, but not quite high enough to be classified as type two diabetes.
Conner: And why is this condition considered a warning sign for developing type two diabetes?
Dr. Loftley: Prediabetes is certainly a warning sign because this essentially means your body is having a very difficult time breaking down and utilizing glucose. And glucose is just a fancy word for sugar. So, when we eat foods that contain sugar, our blood glucose levels rise, and our body should process this sugar by breaking it down and using it as an energy source. But when the body starts to have difficulty doing this properly, we enter this phase called pre-diabetes. And without the appropriate lifestyle changes, it can progress to type two diabetes.
Conner: And I understand there are no clear symptoms of prediabetes, so how is this condition typically diagnosed?
Dr. Loftley: You are correct. There are typically no symptoms associated with prediabetes, and the silent nature of this condition is what makes it so easy to remain undiagnosed and untreated. But the good news is that prediabetes is easy to diagnose and can be done by noninvasive testing like measuring a fasting blood glucose level, checking a hemoglobin A1C level, or performing an oral glucose tolerance test.
Conner: And is it typical that your annual visit to your healthcare providert, hey might do this kind of blood work.
Dr. Loftley: Absolutely, particularly in those that have risk factors for the development of diabetes. And also, you know, after age 40 or 45 these are commonly included in the annual physical examination.
Conner: Well, what can be done to reverse or manage prediabetes?
Dr. Loftley: Prediabetes can sound scary, but the beautiful news is that this is really a condition that we can target and reverse with effective lifestyle changes such as regular exercise, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, and weight loss. And the weight loss can actually be as little as 5%, and this has been shown to be helpful.
Conner: And how effective are these lifestyle interventions at preventing diabetes in someone who is diagnosed with prediabetes?
Dr. Loftley: Lifestyle changes have been proven to be effective at reversing the course of pre-diabetes and preventing the onset of type two diabetes. And, the Diabetes Prevention Program did a great job of showing that in that study. We were able to see that lifestyle changes reduce the incidence of type two diabetes by 58% compared to those who received no treatment, and this was a more significant reduction than was seen in those that were treated with metformin. And the most effective reduction of the incidence of diabetes was actually seen in adults over 60.
Conner: Doctor Loftley, thanks for this information about prediabetes.
Dr. Loftley: You are so welcome.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
