Prediabetes: What It Means and How to Stop It Before It Becomes...

By Fadi — Unicity Senior Director Distributor & Metabolic Coach · Published 2026-06-20 · Updated 2026-10-25 · 9 min read

Written by Fadi, an independent Unicity distributor who earns a commission on orders placed through this site. Educational content, not medical advice. Product research: unicityscience.org · unicity.com.

Quick answer: 1 in 3 adults has prediabetes — most don't know it. Here is what a prediabetes diagnosis means and the lifestyle steps that matter. Talk to your doctor.

Approximately 1 in 3 adults globally has prediabetes, and many do not know it. Without changes, a share of people with prediabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes. The encouraging part is that lifestyle changes are an important part of managing prediabetes and are associated with better blood sugar markers. Talk to your doctor about testing and a plan that suits you.

What Exactly Is Prediabetes?

Prediabetes is defined as blood sugar levels higher than normal but not yet high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. The specific thresholds are:

• Fasting blood glucose: 100–125 mg/dL (5.6–6.9 mmol/L). Normal is below 100; diabetes is 126 or above.
• HbA1c: 5.7%–6.4%. Normal is below 5.7%; diabetes is 6.5% or above.
• 2-hour glucose tolerance test: 140–199 mg/dL after a 75g glucose drink. Normal is below 140; diabetes is 200 or above.

Prediabetes is essentially a stage of established insulin resistance — your cells are no longer responding efficiently to insulin, your pancreas is working overtime to compensate, and your blood sugar is beginning to drift above the healthy range.

What Happens If You Ignore Prediabetes?

The trajectory matters enormously. Prediabetes is not a stable state — it either progresses or regresses, depending on lifestyle. Without intervention:

• 15–30% progress to type 2 diabetes within 5 years
• Risk of cardiovascular disease is already elevated (40–50% higher than people with normal blood sugar)
• Kidney function may already be declining slightly
• Neuropathy (nerve damage) can begin even at prediabetes levels

On the other hand, with effective intervention, people with prediabetes can return to normal blood sugar levels. The window for reversal is widest at the prediabetes stage.

The Diabetes Prevention Program: Gold Standard Evidence

The most important study on prediabetes intervention is the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a landmark US clinical trial that enrolled 3,234 people with prediabetes and followed them for three years. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: lifestyle intervention, metformin, or placebo.

The results were decisive:

• Lifestyle intervention (modest weight loss + 150 minutes/week exercise) reduced diabetes risk by 58%
• Metformin reduced diabetes risk by 31%
• Placebo: no significant protection

Lifestyle was twice as effective as the best pharmaceutical option. For people over 60, lifestyle intervention reduced risk by 71%.

What the Lifestyle Intervention Actually Looks Like

The DPP lifestyle program was not extreme. It consisted of:

• A goal of 7% body weight reduction (about 5–7 kg for most participants)
• 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity (equivalent to brisk walking 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week)
• A low-fat, low-calorie diet (though subsequent research suggests low-carbohydrate approaches may be even more effective for blood sugar)

These are achievable changes. The critical insight is that even modest weight loss — not dramatic transformation — is sufficient to dramatically alter the trajectory of prediabetes.

Dietary Changes That Make the Biggest Difference

While total caloric reduction helps through weight loss, the most direct dietary lever for blood sugar is reducing refined carbohydrate intake. Refined carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, pasta, pastries, sugary drinks) produce the largest glucose and insulin spikes — and repeated spiking is what progressively worsens insulin resistance.

Practical changes to make immediately:

• Replace white bread with whole grain or eliminate bread from most meals
• Eat non-starchy vegetables as the primary carbohydrate source at each meal
• Add protein to every meal (it slows digestion and flattens the glucose curve)
• Eliminate sugary drinks entirely (sodas, fruit juices, sweetened coffees)
• Some people take a viscous fibre supplement such as Unicity Balance before a higher-carbohydrate meal. It is a dietary supplement, not a treatment.

The Role of Intermittent Fasting in Prediabetes Reversal

The DPP did not test intermittent fasting. Some smaller studies in people with prediabetes have looked at 16:8 eating patterns and markers such as fasting glucose and waist circumference; results vary, and fasting is not suitable for everyone. Check with your doctor first.

The Feel Great System (Unimate + Unicity Balance + 16:8 fasting) is a supplement routine some people use alongside diet and exercise. It is not a treatment for prediabetes; follow your doctor's advice.

Exercise: The Under-Appreciated Intervention

Exercise is a direct pathway to improved insulin sensitivity, independent of weight loss. A single 30-minute session of moderate exercise can improve insulin sensitivity for 24–48 hours. The mechanism: muscle contractions activate a glucose transporter (GLUT4) that pulls glucose out of the bloodstream without requiring insulin. Regular exercise is essentially an insulin-mimetic.

Resistance training (weights) has an advantage over cardio for insulin resistance because it builds muscle mass — your most metabolically active tissue and your primary glucose disposal organ. Combining both cardio and resistance training produces the best results.

Prediabetes is reversible. Take our metabolic quiz to find out which lifestyle tools are most suited to your situation.

Metabolic Flexibility and Long-Term Implementation Framework

Whether you are evaluating Unicity from a scientific, regulatory, or business perspective, long-term success with the Feel Great System comes down to daily consistency and metabolic flexibility. Modern dietary patterns characterized by frequent grazing and refined carbohydrates keep circulating insulin levels elevated throughout the day, preventing efficient fat oxidation and contributing to afternoon energy crashes.

By pairing Unimate (a purified yerba mate extract standardized for chlorogenic acids and theobromine) in the morning with Unicity Balance (a patented viscous soluble fiber matrix with plant phytosterols and micronutrients) before your largest meal, the 16:8 time-restricted eating protocol becomes practical and sustainable without extreme calorie deprivation.

Actionable 90-Day Protocol & Compliance Checklist

For customers and independent Unicity distributors alike, following evidence-based best practices ensures a reliable experience:

• The 10-to-15 Minute Pre-Meal Window: Always mix one packet of Balance with 8 to 10 ounces of cold water, shake vigorously in a shaker bottle, and drink immediately 10 to 15 minutes before your main meal so the viscous fiber gel forms properly in the stomach.
• Optimal Daily Hydration: Soluble fiber matrices bind with water in the digestive tract. Aim for at least 64 to 80 ounces of water throughout the day to support digestive comfort and nutrient transport.
• Microbiome Adaptation Period: When increasing prebiotic soluble fiber intake, mild digestive adjustment during the first 5 to 7 days is normal. Pairing the protocol with whole proteins and non-starchy vegetables supports smooth adaptation.
• Objective 90-Day Tracking: Track progress across multiple markers—morning mental clarity, afternoon satiety, waist circumference, and routine lab markers discussed with your physician—backed by the official 90-day money-back guarantee. You can tailor your schedule using our 2-minute metabolic assessment quiz.

Take the free 2-minute quiz · Order the Feel Great System at member pricing · Read the FAQ