How Long Does It Take To Reverse Prediabetes?

How Long Does It Take to Reverse Prediabetes: Essential Strategies, Key, and Success Factors

Welcome back to another episode of the Diabetes Digital Podcast.

We are thrilled to bring you an episode that is part of our pre diabetes series.

Our previous episode we covered what pre diabetes is.

We went over key symptoms A1C levels that would characterize prediabetes, essential lab values that you should lookout for and today we’re going to be talking about how to reverse prediabetes.

0:27
Is this something that is possible, but also what are some strategies that might be helpful if you’re able to reverse prediabetes milestones that you want to look out for and how a dietitian can help you on that path?

Welcome to the diabetes Digital podcast.

0:44
I’m Wendy and I’m Jess and we’re best friends, registered dietitians and diabetes educators.

Through our telehealth platform, Diabetes digital.co, we offer accessible and personalized virtual nutrition counseling for people with diabetes and pre diabetes.

Visit diabetesdigital.co with that Co to book your first appointment.

1:03
We accept insurance and offer affordable self pay options.

Now let’s get into today’s episode.

Thank you so much for tuning in and we can just jump right in.

So in case you didn’t listen to the previous episode, I’ll start by defining what pre diabetes is, but make sure that you go back and that you listen to it cuz I think it’ll be just like a good introductory episode for you.

1:29
So pre diabetes, it’s a warning sign that your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but it’s not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes.

And it’s very common.

Actually about 50% of the population has either prediabetes or diabetes.

1:46
And pre diabetes makes up about it’s anywhere from like 30 to 35%.

So quite a lot of people do have pre diabetes and we’ve gotten this question so many times like, OK, if I’ve been diagnosed with prediabetes, am I going to be able to reverse it?

And the short answer is yes, you can reverse prediabetes, especially if you take on a personalized approach that really addresses what your needs are and what might be happening.

2:12
Like what what are the underlying causes that might be impacting your blood sugar levels?

And this might potentially help to reverse prediabetes permanently.

I said potentially because for some people there might be a genetic component and it just becomes very, very hard.

2:29
And it’s not that you’re doing anything wrong necessarily, it’s just that because of your genetic predisposition or, you know, maybe you just have like a lot of deregulation with like your insulin and things like that.

Like there might be hormonal things going on that might be working against you where it just becomes really, really hard to reverse prediabetes.

2:48
And, and and it might at some point progress into type 2 diabetes, which doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the world.

But I just want to put that out there because even though you can reverse prediabetes, for some people, it might not be possible.

And it’s not because you’re doing something wrong.

3:04
Yeah, 100%.

And let’s get into how long it takes to reverse prediabetes in many cases.

So it’s definitely a process and for many folks, it requires some consistency with different lifestyle behaviors.

3:20
And for people who do have that consistency and change, some of those lifestyle behaviors which we’ll talk about, typically they’ll see results in a few months.

And just to be more specific, many people see a noticeable decrease in their hemoglobin A1C and fasting blood glucose levels within three to six months of making lifestyle changes because it does take about 3 months for your A1C to change.

3:43
And just a refresher, if you didn’t listen to the last episode, your A1C is your average blood glucose over a three month period of time.

Now for other people, achieving and maintaining an A1C within quote normal limits may take a little bit longer and that can depend on several factors like where you’re starting.

4:02
For example.

We know that physical activity can be very beneficial for people who have prediabetes.

So let’s say, you know, maybe you’re starting in a place where it’s hard to walk and so you might have to start just very slowly walking around the block once per day, things like that.

4:18
So depending upon where you start, it might take longer.

And now in terms of the evidence, so just want to point to a study that shows that there can be changes within your A1C based on lifestyle interventions.

There was a 2000 and. 16 Systematic review.

4:33
And meta analysis published by E Clinical Medicine and that found that participants who adopt intensive lifestyle interventions including dietary changes and in many cases that’s increasing your fiber intake and also increase physical activity.

4:50
Those folks significantly reduce their A1C levels over a six month period of time with continued improvements observed over a longer follow up.

Which means that if they continue to do these behaviors, they saw that the improvements just got better and better over time.

5:07
Yes.

And so in terms of the things that you can do to bring down your A1C and keep it down over time, let’s start with nutrition since we are dietitians and it’s one of our favorite things to talk about.

So when it comes to nutrition, just mentioned fiber and it is going to be really important for you to focus on those plant foods when you’re planning your meal.

5:28
So think about vegetables, even fruits.

A lot of people think that with pre diabetes and diabetes, you have to cut out fruit or you can only have like one serving of fruit and you have to have it during a certain time of the day.

We actually have a whole episode on the podcast about fruit.

So make sure that you go back and listen to that.

5:45
But you can absolutely include fruit as part of your day.

So make sure that you incorporate those as well.

Whole grains, nuts, seeds, all of that is going to have fiber and you want to make sure that you pair it with protein, with healthy fats so that you’re stabilizing your blood sugar levels and you’re getting those essential nutrients.

6:07
When you’re having your carbohydrates, which again, you shouldn’t cut out, whether it’s fruit or whether it’s your grains or whether it’s potatoes, like whatever starchy vegetables, you want to still include those in there so that you feel satisfied.

But you want to add in those vegetables.

You want to add it in those healthy fries like avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds, all of that.

6:26
And when you do it all together, it works to create a really healthy balance.

And you’re not going to have those fluctuating glucose levels as often.

We also recommend when it comes to nutrition, trying to limit refined carbohydrates and sugars.

6:41
And I say limit versus eliminate because that’s something that a lot of people do when they find out that they’re diagnosed with pre diabetes.

They’re like, I’m just going to cut out all sugars, you know?

And by this I mean like your favorite pastries or I don’t know, what are some other refined carbs like white bread, white pasta.

7:01
They’re like, I’m just going to do whole grain everything.

And even though it’s super beneficial to eat those whole grains, a lot of us love refined greens as well.

In my opinion, they taste better.

So it’s OK to incorporate those as long as you’re balancing them with some fat, with some protein so that you’re not just having those foods on their own and they cause those glucose spikes.

7:26
And when it comes to carbohydrates too, like if you’re looking for some variety, you can aside from just like the the whole grain bread or the whole grain pasta, other foods that are naturally whole include things like oatmeal, brown rice, and they’re digested a little bit slower so you can mix it up and you can include those as part of your arsenal when you’re planning your meals and think about what carbs you want to eat.

7:53
Yeah.

And just to piggyback off that, even if you do have, like Wendy said, refined carbs, one thing that you can do is to pair them with fiber rich foods.

High fiber foods like legumes, nuts, seeds and vegetables can help manage blood sugar levels because they slow down glucose absorption, which is something we want because we want to prevent having your glucose be on a roller coaster throughout the day, which is going to make you not feel that great.

8:18
And also having your glucose be high over time might not be helpful if you’re trying to prevent diabetes.

So one example, last night for dinner, we had white rice, but we paired that with vegetables like asparagus and also salmon.

And having those three things together not only were delicious, but I had the fiber in the meal to help slow down glucose absorption from the white rice.

8:41
Also, having healthy fats, including fats like avocados, olive oil and nuts, they can improve your heart health but also help to slow down glucose absorption.

So that’s why dietitian often recommend that people don’t avoid fats, but include a portion of fat at every meal.

8:58
They’re also very satiating.

It just, they make you feel good and full.

So we recommend that.

Yeah, don’t cut those things out.

And they don’t all have to be these sources of fats.

You want a snack and you want, I’m just thinking of a snack I had last night, grapes and cheese.

9:15
You’re still getting those fats from the cheese and getting carbs from the grapes.

But since you’re pairing them together, you’re able again to slow down that glucose absorption.

Now let’s talk about exercise because a lot of people think that when it comes to preventing diabetes, you only have to focus on what you’re eating.

9:33
But I will say from my work with clients, I almost feel like exercise has even more of a big impact on blood glucose levels than what people eat.

And this is evidenced by just my work with clients.

And also personally, when I have worn a continuous glucose monitor and I would notice the days that I exercise, even if I ate the same thing, my blood sugar levels were more at Target.

9:56
And I’ve worn the monitor because I have had prediabetes myself due to some hormonal issues, which we’ll talk about.

With exercise, you want to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week.

So what are examples?

Things like brisk walking, cycling, swimming.

10:14
This type of exercise helps to improve insulin sensitivity and lowers blood sugar levels.

So it means that your cells are able to utilize the insulin more effectively.

And insulin is a hormone that helps glucose or blood sugar get into your cells, which is what you want.

10:31
So exercise can help with that.

Now, many people just focus on cardio, which is this aerobic exercise, and they completely don’t focus on strength training.

But I will say incorporating strain training exercise such as weightlifting or resistance at least twice a week is also going to be very, very helpful with regulating your blood glucose.

10:54
Building muscle mass in particular can enhance your body’s ability to manage blood sugar.

And we actually have an exercise physiologist coming on the podcast to go more in depth with this.

This is part of the pre diabetes series.

And whether or not you have pre diabetes or diabetes, he talks about both and it’s fascinating.

11:10
And there are some very easy tips that you guys can do to help to bring your blood glucose levels down with exercise.

And he gives tips for like how to get started and all of that.

The other thing, and this is my favorite that I’ve started doing, I would say in the last like few months, is staying active throughout the day.

11:27
So instead of just walking in the morning, ’cause I used to just walk in the morning, now like every couple hours I will take a walk around the block.

I feel so much better.

I feel that it has a really positive impact on my blood glucose levels.

I can see it when I wear a glucose monitor and it just improves your mood ’cause you’re outside, you’re getting vitamin D.

11:48
Now I know everybody can’t walk around the block.

Like, you know, maybe folks live in neighborhoods.

I used to live in downtown LA, did not feel safe walking around the block.

So another thing that you can do is put on a YouTube walking video.

There’s one that I really like this channel, I think it’s called Walk it off.

12:05
You guys check it out and there’s just like 30 minute, 45 minute, 5 minute, 10 minute walks you can do.

You can also like they have these really small and somewhat affordable walking treadmills.

So on days when it’s cold outside, I got one, I think it was like $199 and it kind of folds up or it can go under the bed.

12:24
And so when I am taking a break and I don’t want to go outside, I can walk on that for 5 minutes.

So just trying to find opportunities again to not just front load all your movement, but make it more consistent throughout the day can be really helpful.

Yeah, I love that idea.

I’m like, maybe I should do that every few hours.

12:40
It’s like good to just get fresh air, too.

It really is so nice.

Yeah, it’s like a routine now and I love it.

OK, I’m going to try that.

I love that.

So we talked about nutrition movement.

Also wanted to touch on stress because that can definitely impact your glucose levels, not in a good way.

12:57
When you have chronic stress, it can lead to those elevations.

And so I do recommend doing things, I mean, whatever really works for stress relief, whether it’s like going for a walk or doing meditation.

I have the inside Timer app and they have all types of meditations on there.

13:14
It’s completely free and I usually do it in the morning.

And I feel like it helps to set the tone for the day.

So that’s something that you can check out.

You can do some light stretching when you start your day, like anything that you feel brings you some level of ease.

Talking to people where you feel like you’re releasing some stress with talking to them can can also help.

13:34
So really trying to find those outlets to channel stress so that it doesn’t build up and then you know, it’s affecting your health.

Because I mean, aside from like your glucose going up, it could affect so many other things.

So that’s definitely something that you want to keep in mind.

Sleep is something else that can affect your glucose levels.

13:52
So try to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night and make sure it’s quality sleep, so meaning it’s uninterrupted.

Some things that might help are like with the temperature, like having a cool room.

I think the ideal temperature is 65°F, but you can also get like the IMAX to block out any light.

14:11
Trying not to be on your phone right before bed, which is something that I am always working on.

So that’s something else that might be helpful.

And then this isn’t necessarily a lifestyle change, but it’s just something to to be on top of.

And it’s monitoring.

14:27
So making sure that you’re going to your doctor’s visits so that you’re getting your testing done for your blood sugar levels, making sure that you’re making any adjustments to what you’re doing based on what your levels are.

Just mentioned earlier that she was using a continuous glucose monitor and if you have free diabetes, that is definitely something that you can do.

14:48
I know oftentimes people associate that with people that have, you know, just like type one or type 2 diabetes.

But you can use it if you have prediabetes, maybe not like long term, but it can give you some short term insights into like, you know, how certain things might be affecting your numbers and some companies even do free trials.

15:06
So you can definitely like look that up when you do go to your doctor, just like some testing that you want to look out for to gauge where you are is the A1C, which we always talk about A1C reflects your average blood sugar levels over approximately 3 months and a normal level is below 5.7%.

15:27
So if you’re consistently testing below that, then yes, that would mean that you have effectively reversed your prediabetes.

Or if it’s like kind of borderline where you’re going into the pre diabetes range and then you go back to normal and it’s kind of on and off.

15:44
It also means that you’ve effectively managed it.

Maybe we don’t say like you completely reversed it, but you have effectively managed it and that is going to help reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes.

Another test that’s done is the fasting blood glucose test and that is when you do it overnight fast, you don’t eat anything and then they test your levels the following day.

16:05
And a normal fasting is going to be below 100 milligrams per deciliter.

And so, you know, that’s something you could, I mean, you could really do it with a finger stick if you have a glucometer, but it’s, it’s good for you to do it at the doctor’s office.

And if you’re consistently reaching that level, then that can also indicate that you’ve reversed your pre diabetes.

16:27
Yeah.

And I also just want to point out that as Wendy said, sometimes your numbers may not go back into the quote normal range.

And that’s also OK too.

There are so many people, and I even have family members like this as well where they have been in the quote pre diabetes range for like a decade.

16:46
That’s it.

In my opinion, that’s a huge success and you should take that as a win.

You know, even the number just staying the same because at the end of the day, for many people, they’re trying to prevent diabetes, right?

And of course we can in every case.

Sometimes genetics is just so strong, but keeping it stable is good.

17:05
So that’s a win.

Now, in terms of other factors making it hard to reverse prediabetes, I just wanted to point out ’cause I mentioned hormones and this is something that happened to me.

When my hormone levels change, which happens to all women, we go through something called perimenopause and then menopause.

17:24
And my blood sugars had always been completely normal.

I didn’t really change too much.

And because of these hormone changes, lower estrogen, things like that, my A1C was in the pre diabetes range.

And I think that many people don’t realize it can be hormonally related and sometimes you might need to get your levels checked.

17:45
This is especially people I would say over 35.

If you’re under 35, this most likely isn’t happening unless you have something else going on, which was the case with me.

But yeah, if you want to learn more about about this, I did a webinar with MIDI, which is a kind of midlife clinic for women and they focus on menopause and perimenopause.

18:05
So if you want to check out that webinar, just go to our Instagram at Diabetes Digital Co and DM us saying webinar and I’ll send it to you.

It’s about, I would say an hour and we talk about this relationship between pre diabetes and hormones and what you need to do.

So that’s just one little thing to check out.

18:23
Now, in terms of people who do have pre diabetes and they want to reverse it and they don’t know where to start, dietitians can be a huge help with that.

We as dietitians help provide nutrition advice.

18:38
We can give you that expert guidance to provide you with informed food choices to help you develop a balanced diet to reverse prediabetes.

And when we say diet, we don’t mean like you’re restricting different foods, but just like a eating pattern for yourself and also will help with goal setting and monitoring.

18:57
We can track your progress.

We have a group of dietitians at Diabetes Digital where we focus just on diabetes and pre diabetes for most people.

We try to get you at least a free trial of a glucose monitor, a continuous 1, so we can get that data and we’ll look at it, We’ll help you make sense of it and just make sure you’re on a plan that helps you manage your blood glucose.

19:20
And of course, there’s a behavioral support as well.

We are not of the philosophy that like, we just want to give you a handout and like we’re done with it.

Like we really focus on the behavior to help improve your motivation and give you support to stay committed to these lifestyle changes.

Exactly.

19:37
Yeah.

So with everything that we covered, it’s safe to say that it is possible to reverse pre diabetes.

It’s absolutely achievable.

It does require a comprehensive approach.

So nutrition, exercise, stress, sleep, having that support, which a dietitian can be really helpful for the reasons that Jess mentioned.

19:58
But yeah, when you take all these different things into account, it really improves your health, just like your overall health.

It prevents the progression to type 2 diabetes.

And also it makes you more informed about, you know, what things might be working for you what, what are the changes that you feel best doing.

20:18
I think it just makes that approach to health a lot less stressful because you’re informed and you know, you’re just like taking an active role when figuring out what works best for you.

And if you want to work with one of our expert dietitians, you could go to diabetesdigital.co.

20:35
We accept all major insurances.

Most of our clients pay zero out of pocket and have unlimited sessions.

So make sure that you head on over to our website.

We have an intake quiz which takes less than a minute and we would love to work with you.

We thank you for listening to this week’s episode and we’ll catch you next time.

20:54
Bye.

Thanks for joining us for today’s episode.

If you’re interested in nutrition counseling with one of our expert dietitians to help improve your pre diabetes or diabetes, visit us at diabetesdigital.co.

Also, if you found our conversation helpful, do us a favor and rate and review this podcast on iTunes, plus share with someone who might find this helpful.

21:18
You can also connect with us on Instagram at Diabetes Digital Co and TuneIn every Wednesday for practical, inclusive, and culturally humble diabetes insights.

We’ll catch you later.

Bye.

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