This comes closer to a cogent answer, which is what I was after.
> future health issues
like?
As I said, I'm not ready to publish this, but I wanted to hear some arguments that made sense. So thanks.
To me, "probability of progression from pre-diabetes to diabetes" is the only reason to say it's a real condition rather than just a risk factor.
Furthermore, it would be the derivative of the level, rather than the level itself.
And finally, it would have to be separated from other unhealthy conditions. Meaning, if they drink too much AND have pre-diabetic A1C, ERROR! Otherwise, how do you know it's not the alcohol?
