Here’s what we’ll cover in this blog post:
- An overview of diabetes and how it develops
- Ways to prevent diabetes
- Tips for monitoring your risk of diabetes
Metabolic dysfunction is a silent epidemic: 96 million US adults (38%) have prediabetes, and over 11% have type 2 diabetes—that’s nearly 1 in 2 Americans with impaired glucose metabolism.
For decades, we’ve looked at high blood sugar as a symptom to be managed or a red flag once it crosses into diabetic range. But studies have shown metabolic dysfunction may be one of the earliest and most impactful accelerators of biological aging.
And yet, millions of health-conscious adults walk around with “normal” labs, feeling like something is off. Despite eating well, exercising, and tracking their sleep, they still hit a plateau. Their energy dips, inflammation lingers, fat starts redistributing around organs, and recovery slows. But no one can tell them why.
Metabolic health is about more than preventing diabetes. It’s also about protecting the systems that help keep you healthier, longer, and longevity medicine is poised to shift the way we understand (and prevent) metabolic disease. That means understanding how even subtle disruptions in glucose regulation may accelerate aging long before a diagnosis appears.
The good news? There’s plenty of science-backed changes we can make to our daily routine to keep our metabolic health optimal and our risk for disease low.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is an advanced, late-stage metabolic condition that affects the ability of insulin (a hormone) to break down sugar (or glucose). The immune system either attacks insulin-producing cells (type 1) or the body develops a resistance to insulin, meaning the insulin the body does produce isn’t effective. Type 2 is the most common (accounting for about 90% of all diabetes cases) and can be driven by genetics or lifestyle habits (eating, minimal physical activity, and so on).
Studies suggest that insulin resistance develops 10–15 years before diabetes diagnosis. When insulin levels start creeping up, even if blood sugar levels are the same, this can be a red flag. Another red flag for diabetes is when blood sugar levels remain high after a meal rather than going back to baseline. You can see what foods or lifestyle habits cause this to happen in real-time with a Continuous Glucose Monitor.
Early in the disease course, however, diabetes usually causes no outward symptoms; that’s why it often goes undiagnosed until it advances.
What Is Prediabetes?
While insulin resistance is usually the first sign that someone could develop diabetes, prediabetes represents a significant step towards more serious disease. Prediabetes means a higher-than-normal fasting glucose level, though not quite high enough for a diabetes diagnosis.
Diabetes is usually diagnosed with a fasting glucose higher than 126 mg/dL, with prediabetes between the 100 to 126mg/dl range. Just below 100mg/dl, is normal. However, some research suggests that levels near 85 mg/dL and up can still cause tissue damage. It may be better, in fact, that we keep our levels closer to 85 mg/dl.
Unfortunately, similar to insulin resistance, most people (about a third of Americans, for example) don’t know if they have prediabetes. That’s why it’s important to act now and monitor your risk. If left untreated, prediabetes can turn into full-blown diabetes.
How Do You Monitor Diabetes Risk?
Monitoring your glucose levels is the most important thing you can do to assess your risk. Here are a few ways you can do that:
- Lab visits and bloodwork
Get bloodwork regularly, at least twice per year, to help you keep track of fasting glucose levels so you can keep them trending upwards. - Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs)
CGMs provide real-time feedback for early detection of metabolic dysfunction. This helps you keep track of not just your average blood sugar levels throughout the day, but also the number of sugar spikes, as multiple sugar spikes drive inflammation over time. - Core Longevity Panel
Advanced blood tests like the Core Longevity Panel can help detect early signs of insulin resistance by measuring markers often left out in standard doctors visits, like insulin, hemoglobinA1c (HbA1C), and C-reactive protein (CRP). - Regular doctor visits
Blood work, CGMs, and advanced tests are a great start, but it may be difficult to track your long-term metabolic health on your own. That’s why you should regularly follow up with your doctor to keep track of whether your levels are trending upwards or not.
How Do You Prevent Diabetes?
Early intervention and active health optimization through healthy lifestyle choices are the best way to prevent diabetes and avoid the long-term health problems it causes.
- Eat low-glycemic foods
Low-glycemic foods don’t cause significant blood sugar spikes. An easy option is the Mediterranean diet, which is high in healthy fats, lean protein, and fibers. Research shows that this diet can have a range of health benefits that may help prevent diabetes. - Exercise regularly
Getting 30 minutes of exercise a day (150 minutes per week) can help improve your body’s response to insulin and keep glucose levels in check. - Practice healthy sleep
Sleep recalibrates insulin sensitivity, serving as a metabolic shield, so practice healthy sleep hygiene through regular sleep/wake times, lowering the temperature of the bedroom to 67°F, and eliminating blue light from the bedroom. - Manage stress
Chronic stress can spike cortisol levels, which tells our liver to pump sugar into the blood. Mindfulness, meditation, and nature walks are effective tools to mitigate the effect of high stress on diabetes risk.
When Lifestyle Habits Aren’t Enough
Healthy lifestyle choices and regular check-ups are the foundation, but are sometimes insufficient for optimizing metabolic health. This is where longevity treatments come in:
- Metformin
Metformin is well-known for its ability to improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels, even for non-diabetics. - SGLT2 Inhibitors
SGLT2 Inhibitors are another promising medication that boasts a spot on the ITP’s list of interventions that significantly increase lifespan. SGLT2 inhibitors cause the kidneys to eliminate up to two soda cans worth of excess sugar a day. That’s up to ~80 grams of sugar!
If you’re not sure where to start, consider taking our free Longevity Quiz or get a baseline of your metabolic health status with our Core Longevity Panel. Even if prescription therapy isn’t right for you, you can still optimize your risk for diabetes by setting a healthy foundation with your diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices.
Note: The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.