Overview
The Risk State Behind Prediabetes
Prediabetes is intermediate dysglycemia: glucose is above the healthy range but below the diagnostic threshold for diabetes.
Prediabetes is intermediate dysglycemia: glucose is above the healthy range but below the diagnostic threshold for diabetes. Insulin resistance makes muscle, liver, and adipose tissue respond less effectively to insulin. At first, pancreatic beta cells compensate by releasing more insulin. Over time, beta-cell secretion progressively fails, and glucose rises further. This is not a harmless laboratory label. Prediabetes identifies a person at increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but progression is not inevitable. Glucose may return to a lower range when insulin sensitivity improves, weight changes where relevant, activity increases, and cardiovascular risk factors are addressed. Most people have no symptoms. A person who feels well can still have significant post-meal or fasting dysglycemia, which is why risk-based screening matters.