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Prediabetes means an HbA1c between 5.7% and 6.4%, a fasting glucose of 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L) or a 2-hour glucose tolerance result of 140 to 199 mg/dL, and it can often be reversed. Endocare’s endocrinologists in Dubai and Abu Dhabi confirm the result, assess the insulin resistance behind it and support the changes that bring blood sugar down, with monthly reviews.
- Prediabetes means blood sugar above the normal range but below the diabetes threshold, on any of three tests: HbA1c 5.7% to 6.4%, fasting glucose 100 to 125 mg/dL, or a 2-hour glucose tolerance result of 140 to 199 mg/dL.
- It often causes no symptoms, which is why most cases are found on a blood test rather than by feeling unwell.
- A UAE study found 40% of both Emirati nationals and Asian non-Arab residents fell into either the prediabetes or the diabetes range.
- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that without action, many people with prediabetes could develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years, and that prediabetes can often be reversed.
- In the Diabetes Prevention Program, structured lifestyle change was associated with a 58% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes over about three years.
- A normal result is maintained, not won once. Blood sugar can rise again, so re-testing continues after a normal result.
- Endocare’s endocrinologists review you monthly, with a body composition analysis at every visit.
01 Introduction
Prediabetes is one of the most common findings on a routine screening test, and it is the stage at which treatment has the most to offer, because blood sugar in this range can often be brought back to normal. This page explains what the diagnosis means, who should be tested, what the evidence for reversal shows, what changes during Ramadan and how Endocare structures the attempt in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
02 What prediabetes means
Prediabetes means blood sugar above the normal range but below the threshold for diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recognizes three tests, and a result in the prediabetes band on any one of them is enough.
| Test | Normal | Prediabetes | Diabetes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HbA1c | Below 5.7% | 5.7% to 6.4% | 6.5% or above |
| Fasting plasma glucose | Below 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) | 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L) | 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) or above |
| 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) | Below 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) | 140 to 199 mg/dL (7.8 to 11.0 mmol/L) | 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) or above |
Prediabetes produces no symptoms in most cases, which is why a blood test finds it rather than a patient noticing it. It is closely connected to insulin resistance, a state in which the cells respond poorly to insulin and the pancreas compensates by producing more of it. Treating that underlying state is central to treating prediabetes.
03 Prediabetes in the UAE
A cross-sectional study of UAE residents published in Scientific Reports found that 40% of Emirati nationals and 40% of Asian non-Arab residents fell into either the prediabetes or the diabetes range. Adjusted prediabetes prevalence ranged from 8% to 17% across the ethnic groups studied. The study used the World Health Organization's impaired fasting glucose criteria rather than the American thresholds in the table above, so the figures are not directly interchangeable, but the scale of the finding holds.
Most UAE residents who learn they have prediabetes learn it from a screening result rather than from a symptom. The realistic routes are a workplace or wellness screening, a community screening run under the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) campaign, which completed more than 150,000 screenings in its first year, or the preventive screening benefit inside a mandatory health insurance plan. Dubai's Essential Benefits Plan covers a diabetes screen every three years from age 30, and yearly from 18 for adults assessed as high risk.
One point worth clearing up: the residence visa medical does not test blood sugar. It screens for communicable diseases. A clear visa medical says nothing about your glucose.
04 How serious is prediabetes?
Serious enough to act on, and early enough to act well. Prediabetes is one of four blood sugar conditions our endocrinologists treat, and our diabetes treatment in the UAE page sets out how they connect. The CDC states that without taking action, many people with prediabetes could develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years. The same evidence carries the second half of the message: progression is not fixed, and the risk can respond strongly to treatment.
05 Who should be tested for prediabetes
The American Diabetes Association recommends that screening begin at age 35 for all adults, and earlier for adults with overweight or obesity who carry at least one additional risk factor. Its body mass index threshold is 25 or above, and 23 or above in individuals of Asian ancestry. That lower figure matters here, because it applies directly to a large share of UAE residents and it means a patient can be well inside a normal-looking weight range and still be worth testing.
Risk factors that bring testing forward:
- A parent, brother or sister with type 2 diabetes
- Diabetes in a previous pregnancy
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- High blood pressure, or treatment for it
- A low HDL cholesterol or high triglycerides
- Existing heart or blood vessel disease
- Physical inactivity
- Signs of insulin resistance such as acanthosis nigricans, the darkened velvety skin seen in the neck folds and armpits
If a result comes back in the prediabetes range, the Association recommends re-testing yearly. If it comes back normal and you carry none of these, every three years is enough.
06 Can prediabetes be reversed?
Often, yes. The CDC states plainly that prediabetes can often be reversed, and the strongest evidence for how comes from the Diabetes Prevention Program, a major American trial. The US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) reports that participants worked towards a 7% weight loss, and that structured lifestyle change was associated with a 58% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes over about three years. The CDC's National Diabetes Prevention Program, which turned the trial into a public health program, frames the weight target as 5 to 7% of body weight. The two figures come from two bodies and describe the same work.
One point requires emphasis. A normal result is maintained, not won once. The insulin resistance that produced the number responds to the changes that reversed it, and it can return if those changes stop, which is why re-testing continues after a normal result rather than ending there.
07 What reversal involves at Endocare
The assessment
Your endocrinologist confirms the result, reviews your history and your wider markers, and examines what is driving the number in your case. A body composition analysis is included free of charge with every consultation. It matters here because visceral fat, the fat stored around the organs, drives insulin resistance, and a weighing scale cannot show how much of it you carry.
The changes that move the number
The Diabetes Prevention Program built its result on that 7% weight loss with sustained changes to eating and activity. Endocare’s lifestyle coaches and our clinical nutritionist personalize that work from your scan and your habits, with practical swaps rather than a generic plan.
Where weight loss is part of the plan, our endocrinologists work towards more than the trial benchmark. The American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes describe weight loss of 10 to 15% or more as capable of a disease-modifying effect, and the medical weight-loss treatment available at Endocare can support losses in that range for patients who need them. The trial’s 7% is the point at which risk reduction is proven. It is a floor rather than a ceiling.
Where weight itself is your main concern rather than the blood sugar result, the weight loss options for prediabetes are set out on their own page.
Where it helps, your endocrinologist may suggest a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), a small sensor worn on the arm that records blood sugar around the clock. A CGM shows how individual meals, activity and sleep move your blood sugar, and seeing that response directly makes the changes easier to target and easier to sustain.
Monthly reviews
Your endocrinologist sees you every month, repeats the scan, reviews your progress and adjusts the plan as your numbers move. Prediabetes rarely requires urgent treatment, but steady progress matters, and a monthly rhythm keeps the attempt on course without becoming burdensome.
08 When medication is considered for prediabetes
Lifestyle change is the first treatment, and for many patients the only one needed. Medication has a place: NIDDK reports that in the Diabetes Prevention Program, metformin reduced progression to type 2 diabetes by 31%, and your endocrinologist may raise it where your risk is high or the lifestyle route alone is not moving the number. The decision is made together, and your endocrinologist will discuss it openly, including any reservations you have about starting a medicine.
09 How prediabetes is tested and re-tested
Diagnosis starts with an HbA1c, a fasting glucose or an oral glucose tolerance test, and your endocrinologist confirms it on a repeat test. Our blood test panels cover the markers reviewed alongside them. After that, re-testing tracks the attempt: your doctor sets the interval, and a result back in the normal range changes the rhythm without ending it.
10 Prediabetes and fasting during Ramadan
Most people with prediabetes fast through Ramadan without difficulty, because prediabetes on its own does not carry the low blood sugar risk that insulin and sulfonylureas bring. Two things still change. A long fast followed by a large iftar produces sharp glucose swings, and Ramadan eating patterns often add weight rather than remove it, which works against the number you are trying to move.
What our endocrinologists suggest: keep the suhoor meal, weight it towards protein and slow carbohydrates, break the fast with something modest before the main meal rather than after it, and keep the fluid intake up across the evening. If you take metformin, ask your endocrinologist about timing before Ramadan begins rather than adjusting it yourself. If you are fasting and feel shaky, sweaty or confused, break the fast and test.
A review four to six weeks before Ramadan gives any change time to settle, and it is also a natural point to re-test.
11 FAQ
Can prediabetes be permanently reversed?
Prediabetes can often be reversed, and the result is maintained rather than permanent. Blood sugar can rise again if the changes that reversed it stop, so re-testing continues after a normal result.
What HbA1c range means prediabetes?
An HbA1c of 5.7% to 6.4%, a fasting glucose of 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L), or a 2-hour glucose tolerance result of 140 to 199 mg/dL (7.8 to 11.0 mmol/L). A result in the prediabetes band on any one test is enough, and your endocrinologist confirms it on a repeat.
Who should be tested for prediabetes in the UAE?
The American Diabetes Association recommends screening from age 35, and earlier for adults with a body mass index of 25 or above, or 23 or above in individuals of Asian ancestry, who carry another risk factor. Family history, a previous pregnancy with diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, high blood pressure and physical inactivity all bring testing forward.
How quickly can prediabetes be reversed?
There is no fixed timeline. Some patients see their HbA1c move within months of sustained change, others need longer, and both are normal. Your endocrinologist sets a re-testing interval so progress is measured rather than guessed.
Does prediabetes always become type 2 diabetes?
No. The CDC states that many people could progress within 5 years without action, and the Diabetes Prevention Program showed that structured lifestyle change was associated with a 58% lower risk.
Do I need medication for prediabetes?
Many patients do not. Lifestyle change is the first treatment, and your endocrinologist may discuss metformin where risk is high or the number is not moving.
Can I fast during Ramadan with prediabetes?
Most people with prediabetes can. Prediabetes on its own does not carry the low blood sugar risk that insulin and sulfonylureas bring. Ask your endocrinologist about the timing of metformin if you take it, and break the fast and test if you feel shaky, sweaty or confused.
Which doctor should I see for prediabetes?
An endocrinologist, a diabetologist or a general practitioner specialized in metabolic health. Prediabetes benefits from a doctor who treats the metabolic picture, not the number alone.
How often should I re-test?
Your endocrinologist sets the interval to your case. The American Diabetes Association recommends yearly re-testing for anyone in the prediabetes range, and re-testing continues after a normal result.
If a test has placed you in the prediabetes range, book an assessment early, while the scope for change is greatest. Your endocrinologist will confirm the result, explain what is driving it and set out what reversal would involve for you. Endocare sees patients at Building 27, Block B, Unit 504 B, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai (+971 4 285 3885) and at Al Bateen, Tower C2, Unit 104, Abu Dhabi (+971 2 582 6178). You can also send us a message on WhatsApp.
Book Your Consultation
- Specialist consultation
- Personalized Coaching
- Body Composition Analysis