It’s that time of the year when many of us are going to wellness visits and checking in with our healthcare providers. After you have your blood drawn and tested as part of this process, you may notice your glucose levels on the report. Why would they be testing your blood sugar reading if you do not have diabetes?

The simple answer is they are screening for a condition called prediabetes, which is when your blood sugar level is above normal but is not high enough to fall into the range for a diabetes diagnosis. Prediabetes is often a warning sign that your body is beginning to have trouble with the normal process of insulin moving glucose from the bloodstream into your body’s cells. This puts you at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and even cardiovascular disease.

Prediabetes usually has no symptoms. The best way to spot it is by testing your blood sugar levels. That is why physicians order either a fasting plasma glucose test, which acts like a snapshot of your blood sugar levels after fasting for eight hours, or a hemoglobin A1C test, which shows your average blood sugar over the last few months.

If you are diagnosed as prediabetic after testing, it’s time to act! You can work with your healthcare provider to develop a plan to eat well, increase your activity level and lose weight. It is possible to reverse prediabetes when you make small changes and stick to them. Here are some simple tips to get you started:

• Do not let more than two days go by without exercising
• If you are sitting down, get up and move every 30 minutes
• Reduce your intake of saturated and trans fats, which are commonly found in cheese, butter, fried foods and prepackaged snacks
• Swap out pork and beef for chicken, turkey, salmon and tuna in recipes

To learn more about diabetes and take action during American Diabetes Month, visit the American Diabetes Association website.

If you want to talk to a physician about prediabetes, visit click on the “find a physician” button at the top of this page to search for a primary care provider near you.