The experts aren’t exactly sure what causes pre-diabetes, but they have found some genes that are related to insulin resistance. Other important factors seem to be agreed on by most experts as causes of pre-diabetes – specifically excess fat in the abdominal area and inactivity or a sedentary lifestyle.
Even if what causes pre-diabetes isn’t quite clear, what is certain is that patients with pre-diabetes aren’t processing glucose (sugar) the way they should. This results in a buildup of sugar in the bloodstream, instead of being pushed into the body’s cells to be used as energy in the muscles, organs, and other tissues.
What is happening in the Body of a Pre-Diabetes Patient?
In a person that doesn’t have diabetes or pre-diabetes, food that enters the body containing carbohydrates enters the digestive system, where the sugar enters the bloodstream and with the help of insulin created by the pancreas is absorbed into the various cells in the body to provide them with the energy they need.
The pancreas is a gland located behind the stomach that produces the hormone insulin. What causes pre-diabetes patients digestive process to go wrong isn’t understood completely, but something stops working correctly and instead of the sugar entering the cells of the body, more of it is left in the bloodstream than is normal. This could be because the pancreas isn’t producing quite enough insulin, or because the body’s cells become resistant to the insulin, or both. In either case, the body’s cells aren’t getting enough energy, and the bloodstream is retaining more sugar than it should. Neither one of these conditions is a good thing, and is among the pre-diabetes causes.
What are the Risk Factors for Developing Pre-Diabetes?
Even if we don’t know what causes pre-diabetes, the risk factors are similar to the risk factors for type 2 diabetes. The same things that can cause type 2 diabetes are what causes pre-diabetes and are worth paying attention to.
- Carrying extra weight – being overweight is considered a primary risk factor for pre-diabetes. The more fatty tissue you have around your abdominal area, the more resistant to insulin your cells become. Obesity is a risk factor for so many medical conditions that everyone should do their best to control their weight, no matter if you are pre-disposed to diabetes or not. Besides quitting smoking, it is probably the most important thing you can do to improve your overall health.
- Lack of activity – It’s simple. The less active you are, the more susceptible to pre-diabetes or diabetes you are.
- Advanced age – not much you can do about this one, but being over age 45 is a part of what causes pre-diabetes. If you are over 45, it becomes even more important to exercise and eat properly.
- Race – Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, and Pacific Islanders are more likely to develop pre-diabetes.
- Sleep – recent studies have suggested that either too much or too little sleep can increase the risk of insulin resistance.
Other conditions can be what causes pre-diabetes in some people and are associated with type 2 diabetes as well. They include high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, and low HDL cholesterol levels. (HDL is the “good” cholesterol).
