According to the textbook "The 5-Minute Clinical Consult," 41 million people in the United States have pre-diabetes or glucose intolerance. For 97 percent of all people with type two diabetes, glucose intolerance was the precursor to their disease. Glucose intolerance is increased blood glucose resulting from defective glucose and fat metabolism and decreased insulin sensitivity. The increased blood sugar is not high enough to meet diagnostic criteria for diabetes, and is called impaired glucose tolerance, or IGT. IGT is a risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Several risk factors are associated with the development of glucose intolerance.
Obesity
A person with a body mass index of greater than 25 is at significant risk for IGT. The fat cells become desensitized to insulin secretion, and the overweight person does not metabolize glucose well. Inactivity is also a risk factor for glucose intolerance. A 5 to 10 percent weight loss can improve glucose control and insulin sensitivity. A healthy diet and 30 minutes of daily exercise will help overweight people lose weight and improve their glucose control.
Family Ties
Family history is a risk factor for impaired glucose tolerance, according to "The 5-Minute Clinical Consult" textbook. Glucose intolerance runs in families. People of African American, Latino, Asian American and Native American descent are at greater risk for developing glucose intolerance.
Other Risk Factors
Metabolic syndrome is a complex series of symptoms that are related to glucose intolerance. People with high cholesterol, high triglycerides, abdominal obesity and increased blood pressure are at risk for glucose intolerance. This is sometimes referred to as syndrome X. Some physicians believe that metabolic syndrome is caused by insulin resistance.
Women who have polycystic ovary disease, PCOS, produce too much androgen, and monthly egg release does not occur. Consequently, multiple cysts build up in the ovaries. According to the Mayo Clinic, women who have PCOS are frequently overweight or obese, and are at risk for glucose intolerance and the development of type two diabetes.
Research published in the May 6, 2006, edition of the "British Medical Journal" found an association between smoking and glucose intolerance. The 15-year incidence of developing glucose intolerance was 21.8 percent in smokers versus 11.5 percent in non-smokers. Seventeen percent of the study subjects who developed glucose intolerance were exposed to passive smoke, otherwise known as secondhand smoke.
References
- "The 5-Minute Clinical Consult, 18th Edition"; Frank J. Domino, MD, Editor; 2009
- "British Medical Journal"; Active and Passive Smoking and Development of Glucose Intolerance; Thomas K Houston, Sharina D Person, Mark J Pletcher, Kiang Liu, Carlos Iribarren, Catarina I Kiefe; 2006
- Medline Plus: Metabolic Syndrome
- MayoClinic.com Polycystic Ovary Disease-Symptoms
