How can I reduce my risk
of developing diabetes?
For many people with IGT,
intervening early can actually turn
back the clock and return higher
blood sugar to normal levels. Your
risk can be reduced by following
these simple steps:
• Eat a healthy diet which
includes bread, rice, pasta,
potatoes, healthy fats (olive
or rapeseed oil), meat, fish,
cheese, eggs. You should also
try to have 5 portions of fruit
and vegetables daily
• Try to do at least 30 minutes of
physical activity 5 times a week
e.g. walking or cycling
• Stop smoking
Date of publication: March 2010
Ref: bpct/IGT0310/AGGD
© Bolton Primary Care Trust
www.bolton.nhs.uk
Impaired Glucose Tolerance
Further information
Information for
Patients
As a patient with IGT you are at
higher risk of developing diabetes.
If you notice any of the symptoms
below it is advisable to see either
your Practice Nurse or GP for
further tests. However, these
symptoms do not necessarily mean
you have developed diabetes:
• Feeling tired
• Going to the toilet more
often to urinate, especially at
night
• Feeling more thirsty than
normal
It is important that
you do something now
to improve your health
by making simple
lifestyle changes to
reduce your risk and
improve your well
being.
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If your blood sugar stays high, you
may get diabetes. Once you have
diabetes it can seriously affect your
health.
What is Impaired Glucose Tolerance?
Why am I at risk?
Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) is a condition where
sugar (glucose) levels in the blood are higher than
normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with
type 2 diabetes. It occurs when the body either doesn’t
use insulin very well or doesn’t produce enough insulin.
This list shows you all the things that make you more at risk of
developing type 2 diabetes. The more risk factors you have the
more likely you are to develop type 2 diabetes.
What is type 2
diabetes?
In type 2 diabetes
insulin has to work
harder to help
body cells to use
sugar. This means
that the pancreas
has to work harder
to produce insulin.
Over time the
pancreas gets too
tired and makes
less insulin. This
means that too
much sugar builds
up in the blood
stream where it
can then damage
sensitive tissues
such as eyes,
kidneys, nerves
and the heart.
What does my high
blood sugar mean
to me?
Do I have diabetes?
No, being diagnosed with
IGT does not yet mean you
have diabetes. However,
having IGT does mean that
you are at a higher risk of
developing type 2 diabetes.
Your risk of developing
heart disease or having a
stroke is also increased.
What is insulin?
Sugar from the
food we eat
provides the cells
of the body with
energy. Sugar
from food is
released into the
blood stream. This
sugar is stored in
the liver but also
circulates in the
blood stream to be
used in the body
cells as energy.
Insulin, which is a
hormone produced
in the pancreas,
enables body cells
to use the sugar.
• Eating foods which contain high levels of fat, salt and
sugar e.g. cakes and crisps
• Lack of physical activity
• Being overweight or obese
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• Having family members diagnosed with diabetes
• Belonging to any of the following ethnic groups:
Black, South Asian, Chinese, Latin American
Additionally, carrying too much weight around your waist increases your risk of
developing type 2 diabetes. People who carry too much weight around their
waist are often referred to as ‘apple-shaped’. Those who carry more weight on
their hips are ‘pear-shaped’.
If you are an ‘apple-shaped’ person you have greater health risks than a
‘pear-shaped’ person even if you are both overweight or have similar lifestyles.
Use the table below to see if you are at risk. You should measure your waist at
the level of the navel.
Waist measurements
at risk
at high risk
Non-Asian women
80cm (32 inches) and above
88cm (35 inches) and above
Non-Asian men
94cm (37 inches) and above
102cm (40 inches) and above
Asian women
80cm (32 inches) and above
88cm (35 inches) and above
Asian men
90cm (36 inches) and above
98cm (39 inches) and above