Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause health problems, such as heart disease, nerve damage, eye problems, and kidney disease. You can take steps to prevent diabetes or manage it.

The hidden epidemic of prediabetes

You could have prediabetes and not even know it. More than one in three adult Americans—approximately 88 million—have the condition, but 90% don’t realize it.

Recent research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reports that nearly one in four young adults (ages 19 to 34) and half of people over the age of 65 are living with prediabetes.

What is prediabetes? And if so many people don’t realize they have it, what can you do—especially if diabetes runs in your family?

Prediabetes means your blood sugar levels are higher than normal. The levels are not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes, but it’s a warning sign that, over time, you could develop the disease. That’s why learning about risk factors is so important.

Eating healthier food and becoming more physically active can help you lose weight, feel better, and lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Prediabetes indicates a problem with the cells in your body. It means that those cells are not responding in a normal way to insulin, an important hormone that helps sugar in the blood get into cells and be used for energy. If a person’s body can’t make or respond to insulin, blood sugar levels rise.

Certain factors can make you more likely to develop prediabetes. You are more at risk if you have a parent or sibling with diabetes and are age 45 or older. Race and ethnicity are also factors: African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Native Americans, and some Asian Americans are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes. Additionally, you’re more at risk if you are overweight or obese and are physically inactive. This is just a short list of risk factors. To see more and to take a test to learn about your own risk factors, visit the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases website.

Getting more exercise and losing a small amount of weight can help prevent diabetes if you are at risk. Eating healthier food and becoming more physically active—taking a brisk walk for 30 minutes a day, five times a week, for example—can help you lose weight, feel better, and lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Even small steps—losing just 5% to 7% of your body weight (10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person)—can make a big difference in preventing type 2 diabetes.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes

Although people with diabetes usually have symptoms, too often those symptoms are ignored or dismissed. Some symptoms of diabetes include:

• Increased thirst and urination
• Increased hunger
• Feeling tired
• Blurred vision
• Numbness or tingling in the feet or hands
• Sores that do not heal
• Losing weight without trying

Causes

You can develop type 2 diabetes at any age, even during childhood. However, this type of diabetes occurs most often in middle-aged and older people. Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes. A family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, overweight or obesity, and being inactive can increase your chances of developing the disease. Women who have a history of gestational diabetes, which can develop during pregnancy, are also at increased risk.

It is more common in African Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians, Asian Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

A primary care provider will often diagnose and treat type 2 diabetes. However, they may refer you to a diabetes specialist called an endocrinologist.

Complications

High blood glucose levels can have a severe effect on the body. Issues can include:

• Heart disease and stroke
• Kidney disease
• Vision problems
• Foot problems
• Nerve damage
• Sexual and bladder problems
• Gum disease and other dental problems

Prevention

There is good news for people at risk for type 2 diabetes. You can prevent or delay the disease with healthy lifestyle changes, according to findings from the NIDDK-supported Diabetes Prevention Program research study. That includes people with prediabetes, a condition where  your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.

Taking small steps, such as eating less and moving more to lose weight, can help you prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and related health problems. Asking your health care team about steps you can take to prevent type 2 is key.

• Set a weight loss goal. If you are overweight, set a weight loss goal that you can reach. Try to lose at least 5 to 10 percent of your current weight. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, a 10 percent weight loss goal means that you will try to lose 20 pounds.
• Follow a healthy eating plan for weight loss. Research shows that you can prevent or delay type 2 by losing weight by following a reduced-calorie eating plan and being more active each day.
• Move more. Start slowly and add more activity until you get to at least 30 minutes of physical activity, like a brisk walk, five days a week.

SOURCE: National Institute of Health & NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

NOTE: The information in this blog is for informational purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health care professional. The use of any information provided on this site is solely at your own risk.

The photos in this publication are of models and used for illustration purposes only.