Prediabetes, or elevated blood sugar, puts you at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, especially if you are overweight, but you can take steps to prevent it.

The Prediabetes Explosion

More than 150 million adults—approximately one-third of those over age 18 and half of those over 65—have prediabetes, and most of them don’t even know it. If you have prediabetes, it means your blood sugar levels are consistently higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.

Prediabetes puts you at higher-than-normal risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. According to the various Centers for Disease Control, up to 30% of overweight men and women with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within five years of diagnosis. You don’t have to be one of them! Here steps you can take to reduce your diabetes risk.

Get Tested

Not everyone with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes, but everyone with prediabetes is at higher than normal risk. So talk to a healthcare provider about determining your own risk and getting a simple blood test for diabetes screening. If necessary, find out what steps you should take right now to avoid or delay the development of type 2 diabetes and related medical conditions.

Written by Susan McQuillan, MS, RDN, CDN

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