Prediabetes is a warning sign! Ignoring this warning sign may result in type 2 diabetes within five years. Prediabetes means your blood glucose (sugar) is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. One in three American adults has prediabetes, and most do not even know they have it.
The good news! Losing 5 to 7 percent of a person's weight and increasing their physical activity can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by a whopping 58 percent! Diabetes is a serious disease that can cause heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, or loss of feet or legs.
You are at an increased risk for developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes if you:
- Are 45 years of age or older;
- Are overweight;
- Have a family history of type 2 diabetes;
- Are physically active fewer than three times per week; or
- Ever had diabetes while pregnant which disappeared after the delivery (gestational diabetes), or gave birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds.
Type 2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented in people with prediabetes through effective lifestyle change programs. If you think you may be at risk, a health care provider can do a blood test to see if you have diabetes or prediabetes.Take the first step, and click here to find out if you are at risk for prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
Prediabetes Risk Test
Find out if you're at risk for prediabetes.
Risk test courtesy of the National Diabetes Prevention Program from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Diabetes Translation
Click here to see a printable version of the risk test: