More than 3.4 million people in the United States have diabetes, but even more, Americans have prediabetes, according to the CDC.
Health officials have released new recommendations for screening for diabetes. In the United States, more than 88 million people have prediabetes but only about 16% of them even know they’re at risk. Over a few short years, prediabetes often becomes diabetes.
In an effort to diagnose both diabetes and prediabetes earlier, health officials lowered the age to begin screening from 40 years old to 35 years old for those who have obesity or are overweight. That means people with a BMI over 25.
Diabetes starts to increase in incidence around age 35 and that’s part of the reason the screening age was lowered. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to blindness, may affect kidney function, damage nerves, and cause erectile dysfunction.
The easiest form of screening is to have a blood test called a hemoglobin A1C done. If it’s increased, that indicates a person’s blood sugars have been above normal for a while.
Studies clearly show lifecycle interventions that focus on diet and physical activity can prevent progression to diabetes.