Prediabetes: what it is and what helps
A fasting glucose of 100 to 125 mg/dL is an early sign. Habits can improve it; diagnosis and follow-up belong to your doctor.
What it is
Prediabetes means glucose is above normal but below the diabetes threshold. For the American Diabetes Association: fasting glucose of 100 to 125 mg/dL, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) of 5.7 to 6.4 %, or 140 to 199 mg/dL two hours into a glucose tolerance test. It is diagnosed with lab tests, not with an app or a home meter.
What helps
The strongest evidence comes from the Diabetes Prevention Program: losing about 7 % of body weight and moving 150 minutes a week cut new cases of diabetes by 58 % over about 3 years. Fewer sugary drinks and refined flours, more vegetables, legumes and whole grains, good sleep and a walk after meals also help.
What about fasting?
In small studies, eating within a shorter window improved insulin sensitivity, even without much weight loss. The evidence is still limited and it does not beat other ways of eating less: it is a tool if it suits you. If you take glucose-lowering medication, talk to your doctor first.
How to use the app
Measure fasting glucose at the same time every day (before breakfast) and record the moment with each reading. What matters is the average over several weeks, not a single number. Take the report to your appointment: the app shows reference values, it does not diagnose.
Sources
- American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. 2. Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2025. Diabetes Care. 2025;48(Suppl 1):S27-S49.
- Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. N Engl J Med. 2002;346(6):393-403.
- Sutton EF et al. Early time-restricted feeding improves insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and oxidative stress even without weight loss in men with prediabetes. Cell Metab. 2018;27(6):1212-1221.
Log in one line, see your fast on the plate-clock, and use it in your browser while it arrives in the stores.
General information; not a substitute for a health professional.