Diagnoses of “borderline” diabetes are sending the wrong signal to people at high risk of developing the disease, a Mississippi dietitian is warning.
Blood sugar readings above the normal range but just shy of a diabetes diagnosis are often referred to as borderline cases, but the proper term in many cases is “pre-diabetes,” writes registered dietitian Kathy Warwick in the Jackson, Miss., Clarion-Ledger.
A pre-diabetes diagnosis is in order if fasting blood sugar lies between 100 and 125. By another yardstick, the Hemoglobin A1C measure of three-month average of blood glucose levels, readings between 5.7% and 6.4% are considered red flags for developing diabetes as well as heart disease.
Speaking in euphemisms like “borderline” to those with elevated sugar too often fails to convince them to change their diets and lifestyles, Warwick argues. It also risks missing the chance to reap the benefits of early detection, which in many cases can delay or even prevent full-blown cases, she says.
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