Pre-diabetes means your blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough for you to be classified as diabetic. A diagnosis of pre-diabetes is a warning sign that should be heeded, as it means you are likely to develop Type 2 diabetes in the future, unless you take preventative action now.

The condition occurs when your insulin (the hormone that helps convert sugars from food into energy) is not working properly and can't move the glucose from the blood into the cells where it needs to be. This is known as insulin resistance.

How do you know if you have pre-diabetes? You can take a blood test, but the first thing to do is to check for risk factors. Take a look at the list below and see how many risk factors are true for you:

• Do you have a family history of diabetes?
• Are you overweight? 
• Is your waist larger than 35 inches (for a woman) or 40 inches (for a man)?
  
• Do you have a low level of physical activity?
• Are you over 65 years old? 
• Do you have a high triglyceride level? 
• Do you have a low HDL cholesterol level and/or a high total cholesterol level?
• Do you have high blood pressure (greater than 130 over 85)?
• Do you have a history of vascular disease? 
• Do you have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome? 
• Have you had gestational diabetes (diabetes in pregnancy) or given birth to a baby weighing more than 9lbs?
• What is your ethnic background? Native Americans, Africans, Latinos, Pacific Islanders, Asians and Indians are at higher risk of developing diabetes.
  

If you answered "yes" to two or more of these questions, you are at risk for pre-diabetes.