Mount Auburn Healthcare Connection

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Being overweight can cause emotional and social concerns and may also lead to a host of health conditions. One major concern is prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar levels are elevated, but not yet in the range to be classified as type 2 diabetes. People who are overweight, defined as having a body mass index greater than 25, should be considered at risk for prediabetes. Being overweight causes cells to become resistant to insulin, a hormone that assists the body in carrying sugar out of the bloodstream and into the body’s cells to be used for fuel.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), 54 million people have prediabetes and research shows obesity is linked to this progressive disease. “The longer people continue to live unhealthy lifestyles, the greater the risk for developing type 2 diabetes,” says Stacey DiModica, R.N., Diabetes Educator at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.

Prediabetes is detected through standard blood tests. Many patients report little to no symptoms, which is why prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are often referred to as a silent disease until a physician formally diagnoses them. According to the ADA, nearly 21 million people are living with diabetes and over 6 million of them don’t even know they have it.

Some warning signs of elevated blood sugar are excessive thirst, frequent urination and chronic fatigue. A waist circumference more than 40 inches in men and more than 35 inches in women can be warning signs for doctors to screen patients for prediabetes. People age 45 and older and those with a family history of heart disease and diabetes should also get tested.

Those who have prediabetes and are overweight or obese are considered to have a condition called metabolic syndrome. This condition occurs when two or more metabolism disorders affect their body. Other metabolic disorders include:

· High blood pressure.

· Triglycerides (free fatty acids) above 150.

· High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, commonly called good cholesterol, below 40 in men and less than 50 in women.

Preventing and derailing prediabetes and metabolic syndrome comes down to living a healthy lifestyle. Eating a healthy diet and exercising can prevent dangerous diseases from occurring. “It’s never too early to learn how to eat healthy, exercise and make lifestyle changes to prevent diabetes and heart disease,” says Ms. DiModica.

“I’ve seen patients who present the classic signs of insulin resistance, hypertension and elevated glucose levels reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as metabolic syndrome by embracing a healthy lifestyle, losing weight and achieving normal glucose levels,” says Ms. DiModica. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says a reduced calorie diet with smaller portions of carbohydrates and moderate exercise for 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by nearly 60 percent.

Instead of just telling people they need to lose weight, Mount Auburn Hospital’s staff shows them how. “Our registered dietitians can help create healthy menus and shopping lists. They also teach people how to read labels to determine healthy food choices,” says Ms. DiModica. Incorporating exercise into daily life is also necessary to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. For more information, read Julie McVay’s article (PLEASE LINK: to Julie McVay’s article) about healthy lifestyle choices.

“Obesity is becoming a national concern,” says Ms. DiModica. Mount Auburn Hospital’s staff wants to curb the obesity and diabetes epidemic in the community. “It is our belief that public awareness and early detection is the key to reach people with early stages of diabetes-related illness,” she says. The staff is proactive with this endeavor through administering community health screenings.

Ms. DiModica says physicians at Mount Auburn Hospital are also making a conscious effort to screen patients in the early stages of the disease. Patients are often referred to registered dietitians and diabetes nurse educators and provided with information to modify their diet and exercise behaviors. “We try to activate healthy lifestyle changes for patients to follow for a lifetime,” says Ms. DiModica.

For more information on our diabetes education program, please call 617-499-5094.