Problematic blood measurements, such as high blood sugar, are actually markers of dysfunction that show up fairly late in the game. By the time these traditional red flags show up on your annual blood test, you could already be well on the road to pre-diabetes. And remember, pre-diabetes is diabetes; it’s just not official yet. And diabetes is pre-heart disease. You cannot ignore the early warning signs of diabetes, and unfortunately, most doctors only look for the ones that show up after the damage has already started.