What does prediabetes mean?
Prediabetes means blood glucose is higher than normal but not high enough to meet the definition of type 2 diabetes. It is usually found on a blood test rather than through symptoms, because it often has none.
The NIDDK describes it as a condition that raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and also of heart disease and stroke. It is not a mild version of diabetes so much as a point at which the direction of travel is visible.
It is also the point where change makes the most difference, and the guidance centres on weight, physical activity and diet. What applies to you depends on your other conditions and medicines, which makes the result a reason to have a conversation rather than a label to absorb.