Frequently Asked Questions
Preventing Diabetes
The following fact sheets
were sources for this document:
Am I at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?
http://www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/riskfortype2/index.htm
Diabetes Prevention Program
http://www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/preventionprogram/index.htm
National Diabetes Fact Sheet 2003
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/general.htm#impaired
Diabetes and Vaccines
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/concerns/Diabetes/q&a.htm
What are the most important things to do to prevent diabetes?
The Diabetes
Prevention Program (DPP), a major federally funded study of 3,234 people
at high risk for diabetes, showed that people can delay and possibly prevent
the disease by losing a small amount of weight (5 to 7 percent of total body
weight) through 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week and healthier
eating.
For more information, see the National Diabetes Education Program’s Small
Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent Type 2 Diabetes Campaign
When should I be tested for diabetes?
Anyone aged 45 years or older should consider getting tested
for diabetes, especially if you are overweight. If you are younger than
45, but are overweight and have one or more additional risk factors (see
below), you should consider testing.
What are the risk factors which increase the likelihood
of developing diabetes?
Being overweight or obese
A parent, brother, or sister with diabetes
African American, American Indian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or
Hispanic American/Latino heritage
Prior history of gestational diabetes or birth of at least one baby weighing
more than 9 pounds
High blood pressure measuring 140/90 or higher
Abnormal cholesterol with HDL ("good") cholesterol is 35 or lower, or
triglyceride level is 250 or higher
Physical inactivity—exercising fewer than three times a week
For more information, see the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse’s
Am I at
Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?
How does body weight affect the likelihood of developing
diabetes?
Being overweight or obese is a leading risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Being
overweight can keep your body from making and using insulin properly, and can
also cause high blood pressure. The Diabetes
Prevention Program (DPP), a major federally funded study of 3,234 people
at high risk for diabetes, showed that moderate diet and exercise of about 30
minutes or more, 5 or more days per week, or of 150 or more minutes per week, resulting
in a 5% to 7% weight loss can delay and possibly prevent type 2 diabetes.
What is pre-diabetes?
People with blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet in
the diabetic range have "pre-diabetes." Doctors sometimes call this
condition impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT),
depending on the test used to diagnose it. Insulin resistance and pre-diabetes
usually have no symptoms. You may have one or both conditions for several years
without noticing anything.
If you have pre-diabetes, you have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Studies have shown that most people with pre-diabetes go on to develop type
2 diabetes within 10 years, unless they lose weight through modest changes in
diet and physical activity. People with pre-diabetes also have a higher risk
of heart disease.
For more information, see:
Can vaccines cause diabetes?
No. Carefully performed scientific studies show that vaccines do not cause
diabetes or increase a person’s risk of developing diabetes. In 2002, the Institute
of Medicine reviewed the existing studies and released a report concluding that
the scientific evidence favors rejection of the theory that immunizations cause
diabetes. The only evidence suggesting a relationship between vaccination and
diabetes comes from Dr. John B. Classen, who has suggested that certain vaccines
if given at birth may decrease the occurrence of diabetes, whereas if initial
vaccination is performed after 2 months of age the occurrence of diabetes increases.
Dr. Classen's studies have a number of limitations and have not been verified
by other researchers.
For more information, visit:
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Return to Frequently Asked Questions
Page last reviewed: December 3, 2008
Page last modified: June 27, 2006
Content Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Diabetes Translation
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