Pre-Diabetes

Pre-diabetes means that your blood sugars are higher than normal, but not necessarily high enough for you to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. It also means that you are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Although a diagnosis of pre-diabetes can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, through making healthy lifestyle changes, many people can reduce this risk and even prevent or delay the condition.

Unlike type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes doesn’t tend to produce any symptoms. This means it is important to know what the risk factors are and how we can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Some signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:

• Increased urgency and frequency to urinate
• Fatigue and tiredness
• Unintentional weight loss
• Feeling really thirsty
• Becoming ill more frequently
• Cuts and wounds taking longer to heal

The Diabetes UK ‘Know Your Risk’ tool only takes a minute to complete and will show your risk of developing type 2 diabetes - Diabetes UK – Know Your Risk of Type 2 diabetes.

It is important to be aware of the risk factors and what support is available, so that you can get help to prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes. The risk factors of type 2 diabetes include:

• If you’re white and over the age of 40, or over the age of 25 if you’re African-Caribbean, Black African or South Asian
• You’re two to six times more likely to get type 2 diabetes if you have a parent, brother, sister or child with diabetes
• You’re two to four times more likely in people of South Asian descent and African-Caribbean or Black African descent
• If you have ever had high blood pressure
• If you are living with overweight or obesity

How can I look after myself and lower my risk of developing type 2 diabetes?

• Eat a health, balanced diet – focusing on:
  • Reducing salt, sugar and fat intake
  • Being mindful about portion sizes of carbohydrates: Portion sizes and diabetes | Diabetes UK
  • Check out  10 tips for healthy eating | Type 2 diabetes risk | Diabetes UK
  • Visit the NHS Orkney Adult Healthy Weight section for more information: Adult Healthy Weight | NHS Orkney (scot.nhs.uk)

• Maintain an active lifestyle
  • Aim for 150 minutes of activity per week
  • Visit the NHS Orkney Activity and Exercise section for more information: Activity and exercise | NHS Orkney (scot.nhs.uk)

• Try to maintain a healthy weight
  • Visit 12 Week Weight Management Programme | NHS inform for more help

• Consider stopping smoking if you smoke
  • Stopping smoking is the best possible thing you can do for your health, and can help to reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
  • To learn more about stopping smoking and Orkney’s specialist stop smoking service – Quit Your Way Orkney, visit: Quit Your Way Orkney – Stop Smoking Service - Health and Well-being (nhsinform.scot)

• Reduce alcohol consumption if over the recommended limit of no more than 14 units per week spread over the week
  • For more information on alcohol and knowing your limits, visit: Alcohol - Healthy Living | NHS inform
  • For more information on alcohol support, visit: Alcohol support | NHS inform

• Prioritise your mental wellbeing and sleep
  • Try to manage stress in a healthy way
  • For more information on how to do this, visit: Every Mind Matters - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Our current services:

Let’s Prevent:

MyDesmond Let’s Prevent programme: Supporting people who have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes to make lifestyle changes and prevent the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

MyDesmond Let’s Prevent programme is a free online health education and behavioural change programme that will put you on the path to better health and wellbeing.

Let’s Prevent will help you set personal goals around diet, exercise and wellbeing to support you in making sustainable healthy lifestyle choices and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Let’s Prevent is suitable for individuals that have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes and find themselves at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Features of the MyDesmond Let’s Prevent programme include:

• Interactive educational material such as short videos, weekly learning sessions and activities for you to view as quickly or as slowly as you like
• Ask the Experts – where users have access to the Leicester Diabetes Centre team to help with their questions
• Community support chat forum – users can talk with each other and ask questions about their successes and challenges relating to their diabetes
• Health trackers such as HbA1c, weight, blood pressure and healthy eating as well as tracking steps and active minutes
• Buddies – users can add up to 5 of their family/friends to join their journey with them. They can compete against each other in daily or weekly challenges, and the buddies will have access to useful information about type 2 diabetes

To access the programme, you must:

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Have an email address
• Be able to access the internet via a computer, tablet or smartphone

If you would like to find out more about the MyDesmond Let’s Prevent programme, please contact your GP to discuss further and find out if the programme is appropriate for you.

If your GP feels that this programme will support your health needs, they will sign you up and you will receive an automated email with a code and a link to register. Please follow the registration instructions on screen, or for further advice please visit www.mydesmond/app/register and watch the registration video.