Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 29.1 million Americans have type 2 diabetes.
About one out of three adults has prediabetes, which is an early warning sign that you’re headed for Type 2 diabetes. If your blood sugar is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes — you have prediabetes.
Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes affects children and teens, too. While this used to be rare, now more than 208,000 kids under 20 have diabetes, according to the CDC.
If you’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you are more likely to suffer blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, stroke, and the loss of toes, feet or legs.
That’s a whole lot of bad news. Thankfully, you can take steps to prevent type 2 diabetes. First, you and your family need to know if you’re at risk for diabetes.
5 Signs That You’re At Risk for Diabetes
The most important step to preventing type 2 diabetes is catching risk factors early. If you have one or more of these factors, make an appointment with your doctor for a diabetes risk evaluation.
You may be at-risk for diabetes if you:
- Are overweight
- Have high blood pressure
- Have a family history of type 2 diabetes
- Exercise less than three times per week
- Have had diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes) or have given birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds
Also, you can take the diabetes risk quiz (or download a paper version) at the American Diabetes Association’s website.
4 Steps to Lower Your Odds for Type 2 Diabetes
If you are concerned about your diabetes risk, or if you are prediabetic, here are four steps you can take to be healthier and lower your chances of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
- Ask your doctor to test your blood sugar. If it’s above normal, work with your physician on a plan to get you back to a normal level.
- Eat healthy foods, be more active and lose weight. Here’s one way to start: Replace soda and diet soda with water. If you’re at risk for diabetes, eating healthily and being active can cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in half.
- When you exercise, alternate between going at a steady pace and getting your heart rate up. According to a recent study, even when you’re walking, switching between a fast and a regular pace lowers blood sugar.
- Join a CDC-recognized diabetes prevention program. Visit the Get Healthy, Live Well calendar to find an upcoming class near you.
To register for a free Diabetes Prevention Program, Living Well With Diabetes or Living Well With Chronic Disease workshop, click find a class.
Primary Care of Bremen, a Tanner Medical Group practice, is located in Bremen, Ga. For more information, visit PrimaryCare-Bremen.org or call 770-537-6500.