Q: I am a 31 years old man, weighing 75 kg with a height of 5.5 feet. I had pre-diabetes one year ago. My blood sugar levels were: fasting 100 mg/dl and post lunch 186 mg/dl. After daily walking, diet and changes in lifestyle, I recovered from this condition. Now my fasting sugar level is 80 mg/dl and post lunch 130 mg/dl. Do I carry any risk for developing full-blown diabetes later? If yes, how many years will it take? I have joined a gym since 6 months. I have totally stopped smoking. Please help.

A:As per evidence based on research, 2% of pre-diabetic patients become diabetic every year. But this is a preventable problem. Prevention of diabetes in this group of individuals is by lifestyle modifications, which you are following very nicely. In addition one can use certain medications like metformin as well. The best is to do diet modifications and 150 minutes of exercise every week. The risk of diabetes stays throughout life but decreases significantly in subjects who reduce weight. In your case I will complement you for quitting smoking and doing good lifestyle modifications. Continue the same, as this will keep you from developing diabetes mellitus later. In fact everybody should follow a good healthy lifestyle.