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Understanding prediabetes and diabetes risk factors

Many Americans with diabetes have not yet been diagnosed and are not aware of the health risks.1 We are here to support and empower you to be your healthiest self. Diabetes is a condition where the body can’t make insulin, or does not use it well. Insulin is a hormone that helps our bodies use the energy from the glucose in the food we eat. Without it, glucose levels in the blood stream can become too high.

Over time, this can cause damage to body tissue and organs.1 There are three main types of diabetes.1

  • Type 1 diabetes can affect anyone, but most often it develops in children or young adults. People with this type of diabetes produce very little insulin, or none at all. There is no way to prevent or cure type 1 diabetes.
  • Type 2 diabetes is the most common type. People with type 2 diabetes either make too little insulin, or their bodies aren’t able to use it as they should.
  • Gestational diabetes (GDM) is a form of diabetes that appears during pregnancy. While GDM usually goes away after pregnancy, it can put women and their babies at higher risk for type 2 diabetes.

Prediabetes risk factors for type 2 diabetes

If you have prediabetes, it means your blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal — but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.2

While it is not clear why some people develop prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, and others don’t, these risk factors can increase the risk of prediabetes, including:2

  • Being overweight or inactive.
  • Being 45 or older.
  • Having a family history of type 2 diabetes.
  • Having had diabetes during pregnancy.
  • Being Black, Alaska Native, American Indian, Asian
  • American, Hispanic, or Pacific Islander American.

Symptoms of diabetes

If you have any of the following diabetes symptoms, see your doctor about having your blood sugar tested:3

  • Urinate a lot, often at night.
  • Are very thirsty.
  • Lose weight without trying.
  • Are very hungry.
  • Have blurry vision.
  • Have numb or tingling hands or feet.
  • Feel very tired.
  • Have very dry skin.
  • Have sores that heal slowly.
  • Have more infections than usual.

Preventing type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a serious, chronic health condition that can lead to other serious health issues, such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, and kidney failure. If you can prevent or even delay type 2 diabetes, you can lower your risk for all those other conditions.4

You can usually prevent or delay type 2 diabetes with achievable lifestyle changes:4,5,6

  • Exercise regularly.
  • Maintain a healthy weight.
  • Eat a healthy diet.
  • Quit smoking.

Having regular doctor appointments can also help you prevent, diagnose, or manage type 2 diabetes. Visit the American Diabetes Association website at diabetes.org for tips and resources in your community, like a local support group.


  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: About Diabetes (accessed July 18, 2022): cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/diabetes.html.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Diabetes Risk Factors (accessed July 18, 2022): cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/risk-factors.html.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Diabetes Symptoms (accessed July 18, 2022): cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/symptoms.html.
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Lifestyle Change Program Details (accessed July 18, 2022): cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/lcp-details.html.
  5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Tips From Former Smokers: Smoking and Diabetes (accessed July 18, 2022): cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/diabetes.html.
  6. National Library of Medicine: International Diabetes Federation: a consensus on Type 2 diabetes prevention (accessed July 18, 2022): pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.