During a routine blood check you suddenly hear that your blood sugar is "a little on the high side". Not diabetes, but not entirely fine either. Welcome to the in-between zone called prediabetes. Your blood sugar is higher than normal, but not yet high enough for a diabetes diagnosis. It is not a disease in itself, but it is a clear signal that your sugar metabolism is under pressure.
I prefer to see prediabetes as a warning light rather than a doom message. It gives you time to adjust, and in some people the value can be partly reversed with lifestyle. That window is not one you want to leave unused.
What are the symptoms of prediabetes?
Prediabetes usually gives no clear symptoms. That is exactly why it often goes unnoticed until a blood value reveals it. Sometimes there are vague signals such as a little more thirst, more frequent urination or energy dips, but these can just as easily have other causes. Because symptoms are absent, prediabetes is usually found with a blood value rather than with symptoms. Read our pillar on preventing type 2 diabetes for the context.
Which blood values fit prediabetes?
Doctors usually look at your fasting glucose and your HbA1c. The table below shows the ranges often treated as prediabetes. These are reference ranges, and your GP always weighs them within the whole of your situation.
| Blood value | Range often treated as prediabetes | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Fasting glucose | 6.1 to 6.9 mmol/L | Your blood sugar at rest, a snapshot |
| HbA1c | 42 to 47 mmol/mol | Your average blood sugar over 2 to 3 months |
Read more about fasting glucose and the HbA1c value. A diabetes blood test measures both together, so you have a snapshot and a trend at the same time.
How do you reverse prediabetes?
In many people lifestyle can favourably influence blood sugar. It is rarely about one big intervention, but about small changes you keep up. Discuss your plan with your GP, certainly if you take medication or have other conditions.
- Move more: daily walks count too, movement helps your cells take up sugar.
- Fewer fast sugars: and more fibre from vegetables, legumes and wholegrain, so your blood sugar rises more gradually.
- Reduce belly fat: a modest drop in weight can already make a difference for your insulin sensitivity.
- Follow-up: rechecking your value after a few months shows whether the approach helps.
If prediabetes goes together with your weight and blood pressure, read also about the metabolic syndrome. If you want to map your broader metabolic health, a complete metabolic panel fits.
The Diabetes Fonds stresses that prediabetes can be turned around for many people with attention to diet, movement and weight, and that the years before diabetes are exactly where the most can be gained. The RIVM tracks figures on diabetes in the Netherlands and shows that the number of people with type 2 diabetes is substantial, which underlines why early action in the prediabetes phase can be so valuable.
Who is at greater risk of prediabetes?
Prediabetes does not affect everyone equally fast. A number of factors raise the chance that your sugar metabolism comes under pressure, and some of these are partly in your own hands. Excess weight, especially around the belly, and little movement are well-known factors. On top of that, heredity, age and a previous gestational diabetes play a role. If you recognise several of these points, it can be worthwhile to have your values checked, even without symptoms.
- Excess weight around the belly: belly fat is strongly linked to insulin resistance.
- Little movement: active muscles take up sugar more easily.
- Diabetes in the family: an inherited predisposition raises the risk.
- Previous gestational diabetes: a known predictor of later prediabetes.
None of these factors means prediabetes is inevitable. They mainly give you a reason to follow your values earlier, so you can adjust in time if that turns out to be needed. Precisely because symptoms are usually absent, a deliberate measurement with several risk factors is a sensible step.
Frequently asked questions
Does prediabetes always become diabetes?
No. Not everyone with prediabetes develops diabetes. In some the value stays stable or improves with lifestyle. It varies per person.
How often should I check my blood sugar with prediabetes?
You decide that together with your GP, because it depends on your situation and your risk factors. We deliberately do not name a fixed frequency here.
Does losing weight really help with prediabetes?
In many people blood sugar improves even with a modest weight loss, especially of belly fat. The effect varies per person, so discuss a plan with your GP.
My advice: see a raised value as a chance to adjust, not an end station. Discuss your result and any plan with your GP. Every blood test result at Vitalcheck includes a professional assessment by a BIG-registered doctor. A blood value is not a diagnosis: always discuss treatment decisions with your GP.
References
- NHG guideline Diabetes mellitus type 2. Dutch College of General Practitioners. 2021.
- Diabetes Fonds. Prediabetes: what is it and what can you do? Accessed 2026.
- RIVM. Diabetes mellitus: figures and context. Public Health and Care. Accessed 2026.
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