Dr Janani

Prediabetes means your blood sugar is higher than normal, but not yet in the diabetes range. In New Zealand, that's an HbA1c of 42–47 mmol/mol, under thresholds introduced on 1 July 2026. It's common, and it's a real opportunity: lifestyle change can cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by more than half, and many people return to normal blood sugar.

Often, yes. Fatty liver (now called MASLD) frequently improves substantially with lifestyle change. Losing around 5% of your body weight reduces liver fat. Losing 7–10% can settle liver inflammation, and in some people who lose 10% or more, liver scarring regresses. Regular exercise reduces liver fat even without weight loss.

For most people, cholesterol can be meaningfully improved. Triglycerides often fall by 20–50% with lifestyle change, and LDL cholesterol by around 13–17% with the right eating pattern. Two further tests, ApoB and Lp(a), show your real risk more precisely, so your plan can be built around you rather than a single number.

Lifestyle changes can lower blood pressure by about as much as a single medication. The biggest effects come from a low-salt, DASH-style eating pattern, regular exercise (especially held exercises like wall sits), weight loss, and cutting back on heavy drinking. The effects add up, and they work alongside any treatment you're already on.

Yes, for some people. Type 2 diabetes remission means your average blood sugar (HbA1c) stays below 48 mmol/mol for at least three months, without glucose-lowering medication. It's most likely with substantial weight loss, early after diagnosis. And even without full remission, lowering your blood sugar brings real, measurable benefits.

If you are exhausted but still cannot sleep, the problem is rarely your bedtime routine. Chronic insomnia is usually kept going by two things sleep hygiene never touches: a nervous system that has learned to stay alert in bed, and the sleep systems that are built during your day, not at night. That is also where the fix lives.