Pre diabetes – or borderline diabetes – is the stage before a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
If undiagnosed or left untreated, prediabetes can develop into type 2, according to Diabetes.co.uk.
The condition is where blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be categorised as diabetes.
It is estimated that around seven million – or one in three – people in the UK have prediabetes.
According to Diabetes.co.uk it is thought that prediabetes is on the rise.
Currently each year five to ten per cent of people with the condition go on to develop type 2.
It is believed sufferers are at a critical stage since at this point they could potentially make lifestyle changes that could prevent or slow down the onset of type 2 diabetes.
While treatable, type 2 diabetes is currently not fully reversible.
The condition can lead to complications such as increased risk of heart disease, kidney problems and even amputation.
Prediabetes can often develop without any symptoms, making it easy to miss.
Risk factors for the condition include being overweight or obese, having a high blood pressure and being over the age of 40 years.
Additionally, if you have a family history or are of Afro-Caribbean, South Asian or Native American ancestry you may be more prone.
In the same way as diabetes, prediabetes can be diagnosed with a fasting plasma glucose test or an HbA1c test.
It is possible to avoid a type 2 diabetes diagnosis if you have prediabetes.
Changing your diet and upping your exercise can help, according to Diabetes.co.uk.
A study published this week in the British Medical Journal revealed that a third of prediabetes patients avoided a type 2 diagnosis by following a Weight Watchers eating regime.