Prediabetes can be defined as having hemoglobin A1c, a blood test, of 5.7 to 6.4%. We usually consider accumulation of fat around the abdomen to be a risk factor for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. The study at hand (link below) didn’t find this to be the case in adults who were at a “healthy weight” defined as Body Mass Index of 18.5 to 24.9.
For this population, we need to identify other modifiable factors that predispose to type 2 diabetes, such as physical inactivity, lack of muscle mass, poor diet, and environmental toxins.
“PURPOSE Trends in sedentary lifestyle may have influenced adult body composition and metabolic health among individuals at presumably healthy weights. This study examines the nationally representative prevalence of prediabetes and abdominal obesity among healthy-weight adults in 1988 through 2012.”
Source: Prevalence of Prediabetes and Abdominal Obesity Among Healthy-Weight Adults: 18-Year Trend
PS: To prevent prediabetes from transmogrifying to diabetes, click here.
Diabetic Mediterranean Diet 
Today in the Wall Street Journal, there was an article about how a Dr. at the Mayo clinic feels prediabetes is diagnosed too often in this country. It was a bit hard to wrap my mind around since the whole diagnosis is to change one’s habits and watch what happens. The article cited a woman who cooks her own food and even teaches classes on how to be a better cook, take back the kitchen I think, and she was diagnosed with prediabetes. Her A1C was 5 I think. At any rate, I felt like something was missing or rather I was missing a chunk of information about the woman in question and could not understand why this fellow felt a diagnosis of prediabetes was too much of a knee jerk reaction. I suppose there could be underlying health causes.
Cathy, you remind me of debates 20 years ago among physicians whether we should be diagnosing “metabolic syndrome.” Some questioned whether it was really “a thing.” Back then it was also sometimes called “Syndrome X.”
Giving someone a label such as metabolic syndrome or prediabetes in a medical chart could have ramifications in terms of future health insurance availability or cost.
For-profit insurance companies tend to prefer customers who don’t utilize medical services. The company collects premiums and pays out little or nothing.
-Steve