Many Swedes live with prediabetes, a precursor to diabetes (pre-) where blood sugar levels are elevated but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis.

It is important to be aware of prediabetes, as it significantly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and later on, cardiovascular diseases. Unfortunately, almost everyone with prediabetes will develop full-blown diabetes within about 10 years unless they make significant lifestyle changes, as blood sugar tends to increase with age.

What is prediabetes?

Prediabetes means that the body has difficulty managing blood sugar. This can be due to various factors, such as heredity, overweight, and lifestyle. Stress, injuries, infections, and a high intake of fast carbohydrates can also raise blood sugar and cause the condition to tip over into full-blown diabetes.

Two important steps to prevent diabetes and manage prediabetes are:

Diet

1. Reduce the intake of fast and preferably also slow carbohydrates

Carbohydrates raise blood sugar and put stress on the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. These cells are already working at full capacity to compensate for insulin resistance, which is the basis of prediabetes and the so-called metabolic syndrome.

2. Focus on eating protein and fat

These nutrients help to keep blood sugar stable and increase the feeling of satiety. At Rebetic, you will learn which fats are the best! You will also get information about the pros and cons of eating a lot of fiber.

3. Avoid snacking; eating regularly has no proven benefit!

Many small meals instead of fewer, larger ones lower metabolism, and certain hormones that increase satiety are poorly affected by small meals.

Physical activity

Physical activity increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin and helps regulate blood sugar. However, remember that if the exercise is too intense, like fast running, the reduction in insulin resistance may not occur! Walking or, for example, gentle swimming tends to work best! Intense training with high lactic acid production triggers stress hormones, which can even raise blood sugar!