There’s an epidemic sweeping across the globe, but although it’s not a new virus or plague, it’s actually taking lives at the same rate as many past infectious disease epidemics.

I’m talking about prediabetes and diabetes, silent killers that attack many people without their knowledge who live their life overweight and sedentary. So if you’re in that group, you’re at increased risk.

The difference between prediabetes and diabetes is a matter of degree.

Many doctors now believe that blood sugars found in both the diabetes and prediabetes range can be significantly harmful to long-term health.

There is even mounting evidence that the difficulties in sugar transport and metabolism in the brain are part of what leads to Alzheimer’s disease. Functional Medicine doctors even call Alzheimer’s "Type 3 Diabetes" because they are so convinced that the link between insulin resistance and this degenerative disease plays a critical role.

Metabolic syndrome, a condition that increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and other problems, is strongly related to the diabetes / prediabetes epidemic because the things that cause diabetes and prediabetes also contribute greatly to metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is diagnosed when you have three or more of these signs:

• Elevated blood pressure
• Elevated blood sugar
• Elevated triglyceride fats in the blood (which increase with things like high sugars and low thyroid)
• Increased ratio of waist to hip measurement
• Decreased amounts of HDL good cholesterol

To reduce the risk of diabetes, prediabetes and metabolic syndrome, look to losing weight, building muscle through exercise and weight training, and eating a low-glycemic diet, composed mostly of things like vegetables.

If these measures are difficult or not as effective as you like, consider consulting with your doctor about medication or supplements that could help improve your risks.