Dr Sophie GP
Borderline diabetes? How to prevent getting Type 2 Diabetes – a doctor explains.
Being told you have ‘borderline diabetes’ or ‘pre-diabetes’ can be worrying—but it’s also an opportunity to make changes and prevent progression to Type 2 Diabetes. In this video, I’m breaking down what pre-diabetes really means, how it affects your health, and the steps you can take to lower your risk.
In this video, I’ll cover:
What borderline diabetes (pre-diabetes) is and how it's diagnosed
Risk factors that increase your chances of developing Type 2 Diabetes
Evidence-based lifestyle changes that can make a real difference
When to speak to your GP and what to ask
🔎 Evidence-Based Information: As an NHS GP, I bring you reliable, evidence-based guidance to help you make informed decisions about your health.
💡 Subscribe for More: If you find this video helpful, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more practical health tips and patient-friendly medical information!
🔔 Stay Connected:Follow me on social media for daily health tips and updates!
Instagram: @DrSophieGP
TikTok: @DrSophieGP
Published: March 2021Reviewed: May 2025Due for Re-Review: May 2028
#Prediabetes #Type2Diabetes #DiabetesPrevention #HealthEducation #DrSophieGP
📌 Useful Resources and References:
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/prediabetes.html#:~:text=What%20Is%20Prediabetes%3F,t%20know%20they%20have%20it.
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/types-of-diabetes/type-2/prediabetes
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diabetes/
a blood test you've had done has shown you've got something called pre-diabetes which is also called borderline diabetes but you're not alone over 7 million people in the uk have pre-diabetes so what is pre-diabetes it's when the levels of sugar in your blood are high but not yet high enough to be clustered as type 2 diabetes many people have pre-diabetes and are completely unaware of it and that's because there's often no warning signs and it can develop slowly and you don't have any symptoms from it so let's focus on the good news bit you don't have type 2 diabetes not yet and you can do things about it to reduce that risk of ever developing type 2 diabetes so this is a bit of a crossroads where you can make some decisions about your own health and life you can either carry on as you are and you may well develop type 2 diabetes and the complications that come with it or you could decide to make some lifestyle changes that we're going to talk about and if you do you might reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as improve the quality of your life so often i like to think of this it's actually in a way good news because you haven't yet got type 2 diabetes and maybe this is just a little bit of a shock to let you know there are things you could do with changing in your life so what are the dangers if you do go on to develop type 2 diabetes i think most people would be surprised to find out that in the uk 22 000 people die early every year because of type 2 diabetes it's one of the leading causes of preventable sight loss heart attack stroke and kidney failure so what next what can you do about it well you are in control of the future and you do have the support of the healthcare team we know that type 2 diabetes is closely linked with obesity it's thought one of the reasons for this might be that the fat cells get into the liver and the pancreas stopping it working properly and that leads to high blood sugar we also know that fad diets uh can be an easy way relatively easy to shift some weight quickly but that keeping weight off is really really hard the good news is is that according to the nhs just a five percent reduction in body weight followed up by regular uh moderate intensity exercise can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 50 percent and we also know that making these lifestyle changes is much more successful at reducing this risk than just taking medications alone number one don't actually focus on the weight loss now that sounds a bit crazy doesn't it but i'm sure you've all tried diets before and you end up just obsessing about food don't you so actually if you focus on making small lifestyle changes that are overall making you healthier you'll end up losing weight anyway without obsessing about food so don't obsess about weight loss number two people try all sorts of different eating methods some people like to do intermittent fasting some people try keto some people do like to calorie count some people go low carb there isn't one right way to do it essentially you just need to burn more calories than you're consuming and all of those different diets manage that so what you've got to think about is what works for me which one am i going to stick to forever because that's what it is it's about making a change that's forever not about i'll do six weeks of keto and then i'll go back to normal there's no bikini diet because that's not what this is about this is about making lifestyle changes forever to be healthy so think about what is most likely gonna work for you and your life okay so what should you actually be eating i think it's a good idea to focus on what you can be adding into your diet rather than obsessing and focusing on what you should be avoiding or certain unhealthy foods so the things that you can be adding more of into your diet are like fruit and veg so if you're having a sandwich ram pack it full of salad and eat lots of fresh fruit and veg but also think about things like lentils and beans and peas and i would recommend that for every main meal you have about half of that meal is made up of fruit and veg or lentils and beans and this way you're going to increase the amount of fiber in your diet you're going to fill yourself up for longer really good for your gut bacteria if you've heard about that and it probably means you'll fill up on that stuff and you'll eat less of the other slightly unhealthier foods that might raise your blood sugar and it doesn't have to cost a fortune so you can have canned food have frozen food so if you're having a curry chuck in a can of chickpeas that'll bulk it up for you if you're making a stew you can buy a pack of frozen casserole veg and you could just chuck that in i buy loads of frozen veg actually this is a special mix you can get stir-fry stuff it's also easier and it's cheaper it's not going to rot at the back of your fridge so have a look in the frozen section next time you're in the supermarket you might be surprised how much there is there and the other thing to mention hopefully a fairly easy switch is to change two whole wheat versions of all the stuff you're already eating so you can get obviously pasta bread noodles rice nice little handy packet just try and switch if you can make the move over to whole grain again it's another way to increase your fibre keeps you fuller for longer and generally healthier switch to make so it's an easy one to do and i would also say whilst you're eating try and enjoy the food like food is fun isn't it we all love food really and we want to have a good relationship with it so try not to eat whilst you're watching telly or scrolling through your phone or at your desk if you can try and enjoy the food take a moment think about what you're eating and appreciate it don't try and rush it all at once and in that way we find that people have a better healthy relationship with food if you can do that we know that being sedentary or sitting for really long periods of time is really bad for our health in fact it's just as dangerous as smoking so we need to get moving ideally we need to be doing 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week which sounds like a lot so we can always try and make that our goal and reach for it and it can be done through little small bursts of exercise known as exercise snacking so you might set yourself the goal that every hour you want sit for longer than an hour and you'll get up and walk to your kitchen do a couple of squats and come back you've got to just set these little exercise snacking goals but the key thing is you're not sitting for long periods of time so how can you make these sustainable changes you might want to watch this bit again or write some notes on it whilst you're watching it so i'd say first of all is write down some goals narrow them down by thinking about what would it mean to you to be healthier maybe you'd have more energy to run around with the grandkids maybe the pain in your joints would ease have a think about what would it mean to you in one year's time to be healthier what would be different second of all think about what you might already be doing to help this think about things you've tried in the past that may have failed and think about why they failed think about what strengths and qualities do you have that can make these changes happen and who around you can help support you right this point is really really important what i want you to start thinking about is committing to a goal that's a really small change something you think you can stick to so i'm not suggesting you're gonna start running three times a week and go to a zumba class and only ever eat vegetables something realistic that you think you can do and start really really small so that might be you say every lunchtime i'm going to go outside and walk for two minutes and then come in you might say i'm not going to sit down for more than one hour throughout the day maybe make a little tick sheet tick it off when you've done it so set realistic goals that you can achieve that's a really important key thing to do and when you've done that goal then you can move on and extend and build on it maybe just do one goal at a time and then be proud when you've done it and think about what might happen why reasons you might fail and how you might try and get around that so you might think well it's raining what am i going to do when it's raining make a plan so make a plan to try and prevent failure of these goals and try and focus on the success of little tiny small goals making these lifestyle changes can make a massive difference to your life not only in reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes heart disease stroke kidney disease but also improving the quality of your life you might find you've got more energy you might find you're sleeping better you might find your joint state don't ache as much so it's really worth putting a lot of effort into trying to achieve these goals we've talked about it's not always going to be easy it will be hard at times but if you've got the motivation and some good support and you will have the support of the healthcare team then i know and i think you know that you can do it so start today and let's make sure you kick diabetes to the curb
#Borderline #diabetes #prevent #Type #Diabetes #doctor #explains
source
68, I reversed my prediabetes 6.1 to a normal A1C 5.3 by simply quitting sugar and losing 30 pounds. I still eat whatever I want. I'm a 5' 6" male and was only 150 pounds and now lost 30 pounds by quitting sugar and now I'm much slimmer at 120 pounds. I get lab work done every 3 months. Also by losing that weight my cholesterol and triglyceride numbers also went down to normal.
you just nailed it Dr Sophie , my passion is nutrition and exercise ,ie jogging and resistance work outs my diet is as you just talked about .i'm 72 and on no meds . Tips to help people subscribe to a few good plant basted doctors ,follow the science. People are killing them selves with there diet . Great information Sophie.
Dr Sophie you rock!!
Planet Ayurveda’s Karela Capsules assist in controlling blood sugar and improving digestion.
Why is it always assumed that if you get type 2 diabetic your over weight? I'm that person….
The biggest problem with the advice given here is the false sense of security that Type 2 is only for overweight people, which of course is not true. Lots of healthy looking people can and will develop type 2 if they have poor eating habits (sugar and high starch intake) or other health factors. Eating a low carb diet will absolutely lower your blood sugar levels and fat storage. it's scientific fact and been proven in study after study. This doctors get moving advice to avoid diabetes is to walk to the kitchen? How about walk down to the end of your road or street at a minimum and avoid the room with the refrigerator and bread bin.
Cutting the carbs and sugar helped me.
I'm trying to do the lifestyle changes but I'm worried the statin I've started taking for genetic high cholesterol is a factor in my high Hba1c reading. Will this keep getting worse even if I do the lifestyle stuff?
One can do a low carb "diet".
Ask you´r self why is my sugar high? because I'm eating to much sugar (including carbohydrates which converts to sugar in the body)
Cut out the highly processed food.
For information check out Dr.David Unwin on youtube
God luck! i know it works iv´e done it my self.
Pre diabetics shouldnt be eating carbs or sugar…simple as…
Pre diabetics shouldnt be eating carbs or sugar…simple as…
I got told 3 years ago that I was pre diabetic. At the time I was morbidly obese. Since then I lost 7st, am more active. I still have bad food days (i end up binging). I walk, cycle have started using some weights. This year I plan to learn to rollerskate. I always use wholemeal bread, sometimes rye bread. Biggest problem is my sweet tooth. Chocoholic. At my last blood tests my tests were normal again, despite my slip ups with unhealthy nibbles
The key is to eat foods low on the glycemic index. 30 max. Exercise and do a 36hr fast atleast once a month. Of course. No refined carbs, sugars, malotdexrin, etc.
Cutting high carbs and sugar did nothing for my weight 😢
Told by my GP that I was pre-diabetic a year ago. Still hovering at 42, 43. Everything I watch is on losing weight. I have BMI of 21 so have nowhere to go on that score. Regular exercise, eat proper food, sleep like a log. All boxes ticked, but cant get the levels down.
Whole wheat is gmo and now good
My HbA1c was 5.9. When I read the bestseller 'The Magnesium Miracle' by Dr Carolyn Dean and began taking Magnesium supplement ( Mg Glycinate) after about six months my HBA1c came down to 5.3 without any other change like diet, exercise etc.
You still need to cut something: take aways ,processed food ,trans fats and reduce portions ,soft drinks…so before you add you need to give up a few things
I'm 40 😢 recently had my health check and the nurse said I'm in good health for my age. No smoking, no drinking. Normal weight 11st, my BP is 120 – 70. She said the chances of me having a heart attack in 10 years is like 1.2%.
Such B's. Lower carbs is what helps you not eating more fruit!!
Promote low carb diets. Keep up with the times. If weight watchers worked they would be out of business!!
Even doabetes can be cured. Zero carbohydrates and walk after every meal under the sun.
So why eat carbs if carbs increase blood sugar spikes and insulin. Why not low carb, Keto or carnivore diet?
She is a good nurse
If you have pre diabetes, why on EARTH would you even THINK about having a sandwich? (Unless there’s some way to have a sandwich which doesn’t involve bread or other wheat/grain/carb products that I don’t know about🤔)
Dr. Sophie needs a big dose of Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution!
The reason you have become pre-diabetic and risk T2 diabetes is an imbalanced diet. Carbs and sugar must be cut down – preferably avoided totally. A small number of fruits are OK but most will spike your glucose and worsen your road to T2 diabetes. Carbs and starches do the same – increase your glucose levels. If you want to kick pre- diabetes and T2 diabetes then kick carbs, starches and sugar.
My ‘diabetes ‘journey’
In August 2022 I was broken into in the middle of the night whilst in bed
They stole my car. I did get it back 2 days later (ANPR)
Young kids – went to court
I then had health issues -not sleeping, weight loss which I had never had issues with and stress generally
People said I did not look well lost a lot of weight
In April 2023 I went on a holiday of a lifetime to 🇺🇸🇺🇸for 3 weeks.
The last 3 days in Seattle
I collapsed in my hotel room
Ended up in hospital for 8 days
I was told I had Type 2 Diabetes
DKA
And Over Active Thyroid
I never knew had NO symptoms
I put my weight loss down to stress
Since June 2023 been on thyroid tablets
And insulin
From August 2023 to October 2024 had several bouts of time in hospital where they were trying to get my Diabetes under control with no luck
One spell in hospital they overdosed me on insulin and had to apologise
I’ve always been told type 2
But in January this year they say type 1 but are not really sure
And I’m told I’m intolerant of insulin
Pre diabetes i asked consultant in hospital and was told the subject is a bit of a talking point as to what numbers
I think they are not sure
You either are diabetic or not
Everyone is different with hormones
Every doctor/gp/website gives out different numbers and in some cases pre diabetes and diabetes can be only 0.1 difference
I’ve never had weight issues
I’m still underweight
9 st 12
I should be 10st 2lb
I don’t eat many carbs
Mainly meat,fish, eggs, veg fruit
I do have porridge for breakfast
I’m told im not the norm
Thank you!
I'm Asian Indian and as a population, we have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes than other races.
My mum has diabetes but struggled to get it under control due to her mental health. I learned to take care of myself ftom a young age, by naturally living a wholesome healthy lifestyle… no smoking, eating more meats, fish, healthy fats and protein, cut out sugar, breads, cakes, and rice, although have chocolates in moderation. I exercise everyday, some form of cardio and weightlifting.. and I intermittent fast, sometimes dry fast for religious purposes a few times a week. At the age of 40, my Hba1c is good at 5%, and my cholesterol is fine. I am not prediabetic.. I have been successful in avoiding diabetes and don't plan to give up on my self care. So if I can do it then those of you who don't have a risk factor for diabetes should have an easier time!😮
what i did was start keeping a really strict food diary, it was a real wake up call. i still keep it and i track everything in my health profile, i then analyse it at the end of each week and if i haven't achieved my weight loss or veg intake goal, i can see it really quickly where i went off track.
A sandwich! Bred is full of sugar. What pasta 😮what a load of bullshit. Eat keto cut out refined carbs and all processed foods. Eat real food.
My problem is i up the fiber and protien & im sick to my stomach having ibs flare ups. Then also im constantly hungry to the point if im not snacking i get a head ache, and start cramping. Im trying but man this is hard.
Thanks so much dr sophie very helpful ❤ xx
Stop sugar intake eat whole foods , animal fats, worked for me
Ime already doing all you surgest so thank you ,I do a lot of knitting and sewing so set my timer for every hour and walk up and down for four hundred steps ,so hopefully doing the right things to save me from medication .I enjoyed your simple vlog 🥰🥰🥰
I need to do this 😇🤠.
I am 67 ,68.4 kg , male, have a reasonably healthy diet ,never take sugar in my tea /coffee ,drink fizzy drinks and exercise every day ……my HB1AC is 44 ,so wondering what I have to do to get this figure down.
I am very attracted to this lady.
She is spellbinding and absolutely stunning…
Thankyou Dr. Sophie. Very helpful 😊
I'm pre diabetic and my Dr. Suggested for me to eat 50% plant based diet
My doctor is no support 😢
Plenty of people now have diabetes and arent overweight!
Im guessing they shouldn't focus on loosing weight?