Preventing Diabetes

What you need to know about the condition that affects one in five Canadians— and how to manage your own risk.

- Anne Mullens

“YOUR BLOOD SUGAR IS TOO HIGH. You have pre-diabetes.” When Gail Tudor heard her doctor say that during a regular checkup in July 2015, the 55-year-old wedding videographer was shocked. How was that possible? Her body mass index was in the healthy range, and her diet was low in fat and high in fruit, vegetables and grains. Tudor, who lives in Wales, was also active—she skated, walked, kayaked and more. Since she already exercised often, her doctor said, it was unlikely she could reverse her path to type 2 diabetes. There’s no singular cause of pre-diabetes, so pinpointing what led to her condition wasn’t possible.

She was offered a treatment plan that included drugs, and learned she’d likely need to take them for the rest of her life. “I couldn’t believe it,” she says.

Tudor was determined to learn if there was anything else she could do to prevent diabetes without resorting to medication—she didn’t want to depend on it permanently.

Retired engineer Frank Linnhoff, 69, who lives near Bordeaux, France, knew that his obesity and family history put him at high risk of type 2 diabetes. His father had died at 70 from kidney failure caused by the disease; his brother had a leg amputated at 45 because of it. Diagnosed with pre-diabetes 25 years earlier, Linnhoff had tried his best to follow his doctor’s advice on diet and exercise, but still his weight climbed.