The Basics
You can do a lot to lower your chances of getting diabetes.
To prevent or delay getting diabetes:
- Watch your weight
- Eat healthy
- Be active
- Control your blood pressure and cholesterol
It pays to prevent diabetes. If it’s not controlled, diabetes can cause blindness, nerve damage, kidney disease, and other health problems. In fact, diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States.
Check out this list of
50 ways to prevent diabetes.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease. When you have diabetes, there is too much sugar (called glucose) in your blood. Over time, if it’s not controlled, diabetes can cause serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, and blindness.
Diabetes cannot be cured, but it can be treated.
What is type 2 diabetes?
There is more than one type of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. People who are overweight are more likely to get type 2 diabetes.
After a meal, the food you eat turns into glucose. Glucose is carried by your blood to other parts of the body. Your body depends on glucose for energy.
When you have diabetes, your body has trouble turning glucose into energy. Instead of being used by your body, the glucose builds up in your blood. The rest of your body is starved of energy.
What is pre–diabetes?
Pre–diabetes means your blood glucose level is higher than normal. If you have pre–diabetes, you are at risk for serious health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Am I at risk?
You may be at risk for diabetes if you:
- Are overweight
- Exercise less than 3 times a week
- Are over 45 years old
- Have high blood pressure or cholesterol
- Are African American, Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian American or Pacific Islander
- Have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes
What are the signs of diabetes?
Many people with diabetes don’t know they have the disease. Some signs of diabetes include:
- Being very thirsty or very hungry
- Feeling tired for no reason
- Urinating (going to the bathroom) more than usual
- Losing weight for no reason
- Having sores that are slow to heal
- Having trouble seeing (blurry vision)
Not everyone who has diabetes has these signs. If you have any of these signs or think you may be at risk, go to the doctor for a blood glucose test.
Take Action!
Get active.
Being physically active can lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. Aim for 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, like walking fast or biking.
Watch your weight.
Studies show that losing just 7% of your body weight can lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. If you weigh 200 pounds, 7% of your body weight is 14 pounds.
Try writing down the amount of calories and fat you eat each day
along with your physical activity. To get started, print and use this
Food and Activity Tracker [PDF –
350 KB] for one week.
Get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked.
- Starting at age 18,
get your blood pressure checked
at least every 2 years. It’s important to get your blood pressure checked often, especially if you are over 40 years old.
- Most men need their cholesterol checked at least once every 5 years. Women at risk for heart disease should also get their cholesterol checked every 5 years. Talk to a doctor about
checking your cholesterol.
Talk to a doctor about your diabetes risk.
Use this
interactive tool to find out if you are at risk for diabetes.
Print out the results to show the doctor. He or she can help you decide on steps to take to prevent or delay diabetes.