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Prediabetes and insulin resistance: getting tested, what the numbers mean, and the steps that can prevent type 2 diabetes
For anyone just told they have prediabetes or insulin resistance; anyone wondering whether to get tested; anyone holding an A1C or fasting glucose result; anyone whose doctor brought up their weight or metformin; and anyone worried about a child or a parent. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the NIH) says prediabetes is when blood glucose (blood sugar) is higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes; that in 2021 about 97.6 million people in the United States ages 18 and older had it; and that many people can take steps to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. This page passes on, by name, what NIDDK says: what it can lead to, who is more likely to get it, who should be tested and when, the blood tests and their numbers, healthy living and the National Diabetes Prevention Program, and managing weight and metformin. It builds the words to say to a doctor, and prints a card to keep.
Right now
- Very thirsty and urinating a lot, and now vomiting and unable to keep drinks down, breathing fast and deep, or very confused or hard to wake: go to the emergency room or call 911 (ours). Do not wait for an appointment. Our diabetes guide has the CDC’s signs of a blood sugar emergency.
- Very thirsty and urinating a lot, without those? See a doctor soon and ask for a blood sugar test (ours). NIDDK says some people with prediabetes may have symptoms similar to those of diabetes.
- Thoughts of suicide? Call or text 988, any hour (ours).
More help
- Linked to it, on this site: Diabetes · Blood sugar log · High blood pressure · High cholesterol · Sleep apnea · Pregnancy and a new baby.
- Small steps, food and smoking: One step · Food help · Quitting smoking.
- Care and costs: When you need a doctor and can’t pay · My medicines list · When medicine costs too much · Get ready for your appointment.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
Your heart, blood pressure, blood sugar, thyroid or blood, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for a heart attack or stroke, blood pressure, AFib, heart failure, cholesterol, diabetes and prediabetes, the thyroid, anemia, sickle cell and menopause, on one list.
Other guides on this site that go with this page
Free to read. We chose these ourselves; no professional did. Each guide was written with AI and has not been reviewed by a professional. They are general information, not advice.
- Changing your habits for better health: the four stages, the pros and cons, the roadblocks, and keeping it up: changing your habits for better health (eating better, moving more): the four stages of change, the pros and cons, the common roadblocks and their solutions, small goals, setbacks, and keeping it up.
- Medicines for weight: who they are for, how they work, the seven medicines, side effects, how long, and cost: prescription medicines for weight, such as semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Zepbound): who they are for, how they work, NIDDK’s table of the seven medicines, side effects, how long to take one, and cost.
- Eating well and moving more: what to eat more and less of, what can affect your weight, the two kinds of activity, how much, and getting started: eating well and moving more: the foods to have more and less of, what can affect your weight, the two kinds of physical activity and how much, getting started, and being good to yourself.
- Acromegaly: too much growth hormone, the signs, the pituitary tumor, the tests, and the treatment: acromegaly, when the body makes too much growth hormone: what it is, who gets it, the slow changes in the hands, feet and face, what it can lead to, the pituitary tumor behind it, the tests, and surgery, medicines and radiation.
- Cushing’s syndrome: too much cortisol, the signs, steroid medicines, the tests, and the treatment: Cushing’s syndrome, when the body has too much cortisol: what it is, who it affects, the signs and what it can lead to, steroid medicines and tumors as causes, the tests, and surgery, radiation and medicines.
- Fatty liver disease in children: NAFLD and NASH, the signs, the tests, treatment, and food: fatty liver disease in children (NAFLD and NASH): the silent signs, the causes, the tests, gradual weight change and habits, supplements, and food, for parents.
- Helping your child eat well and move more: healthy habits, what to eat and drink, snacks, staying active, screen time, and weight: helping your child eat well and move more: healthy habits together, what to eat and drink, snacks and choking hazards, how much to move at each age, screen time, and loving your child at any weight.
- Food portions: portions and servings, how much is enough for you, reading the label, at home, eating out, and on a tight budget: food portions: the difference between a portion and a serving, servings per container, how much is enough for you, reading the Nutrition Facts label, and tips at home, eating out and when money is tight.
- Monogenic diabetes (MODY and neonatal diabetes): diabetes caused by a change in one gene, who gets it, the genetic test, families, and treatment: monogenic diabetes (MODY and neonatal diabetes): diabetes caused by a change in one gene, the genetic test, families, and treatment.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 16, 2026 on one NIDDK page (NIH): Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes (last reviewed March 2025). The CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program page is linked because NIDDK names the program; the CDC’s own prediabetes page gives other figures (a different age to start testing, and a different count), and we did not mix the two. Ours: the emergency room or 911 line (it follows the CDC lines on our diabetes guide); seeing a doctor soon if you are very thirsty and urinating a lot; 988 for thoughts of suicide; not stopping or changing a medicine on your own; the kind words about weight; the questions to ask at a visit; health centers, food help and medicine costs when money is tight; and the order of the steps. What we left out: brand names, doses, weight-loss medicine names, body mass index charts, diet and exercise plans, research studies, and clinical pages for providers. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.