In treating prediabetes before the disease becomes full-blown, the key to success is early detection. The discovery of diabetic antibodies in the early 1980s was an enormous breakthrough, as it was discovered that early onset type 1 diabetes is actually an autoimmune disorder, with the body attacking its own cells. It was found that the presence of these antibodies (and autoantibodies) can be used to predict the onset of type 1 diabetes. Diabetic antibodies are proteins in the blood that detect and go after bacteria and viruses in the body. Unfortunately, they can sometimes malfunction and attack the body’s systems, and are then called autoantibodies. In the case of type 1 diabetes, islet beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin can be attacked and destroyed by these autoantibodies. This is helpful for seeing very early signs of diabetes, as these diabetic antibodies and autoantibodies have been discovered in 95% …