Kidney damage can occur before diabetes sets in

An important study just published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology that offers powerful evidence for the need to maintain healthy insulin and glucose levels well before that system fails and blood sugar crosses the line into the type 2 diabetes territory. High levels of insulin do nasty mischief throughout the body and the kidneys are especially sensitive. The authors set out with this objective:

"Prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in people with diagnosed diabetes is known to be high, but little is known about the prevalence of CKD in those with undiagnosed diabetes or prediabetes. We aimed to estimate and compare the community prevalence of CKD among people with diagnosed diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, prediabetes, or no diabetes."

Their data paints a worrisome picture:

"Fully 39.6% of people with diagnosed and 41.7% with undiagnosed diabetes had CKD...Among those with CKD, 39.1% had undiagnosed or prediabetes."

Remember dear reader that chronic kidney disease means that there has been an irretrievable loss of kidney tissue; this is beyond normal age-related changes. This is yet another important reason to confirm that your strategy for maintaining healthy insulin function is suiting your needs. This is not difficult to determine with the right test assessment. The authors conclude:

"CKD prevalence is high among people with undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes. These individuals might benefit from interventions aimed at preventing development and/or progression of both CKD and diabetes."