Is it OK to do intermittent fasting if you’re prediabetic?

Eysbrown1020

I just found out last month that I’m prediabetic. It runs both sides of my family and I watch like a hawk and my A1c was 5.6 which is not horrible but my doctor said watch it, that’s all he said. i’m a bit bit of a maniac. I weigh everything I eat and measure as well. I’ve been doing that for years. I don’t know if intermittent fasting is OK to do if you’re prediabetic I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for quite some time now and it hasn’t affected anything so I’m guessing it’s OK.

MargaretYakoda

I’m not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice.

My personal opinion, as a diabetic, and someone who has cared for a diabetic family member for over a decade?

If you are having 3 meals a day, it’s likely fine.

What you want to avoid is a dip in blood sugar that is too severe. (Hypoglycemia)
This article has a good summary of what a low blood sugar episode can feel like, and how to deal with it. Don’t worry too much about the severe hypoglycemic stuff towards the end of the article. As a pre-diabetic it’s unlikely you will experience that as long as you’re paying attention to potential symptoms of a milder episode.
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/patient-education/about-hypoglycemia-low-blood-sugar

My personal opinion is that omad is likely an unwise choice for a pre-diabetic or diabetic. But that is the extreme version of intermittent fasting.

neanderthin

Yes it's fine and helps being more insulin sensitive over the course of a day. You should also talk with a professional about managing your carbohydrate tolerance for better blood sugar control and perform a OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) and understanding the importance of glycemic control that helps to keep your blood glucose within a specific target range. I completely reversed my pre diabetes doing this and most do and I'm referring to D2.