Too Few Americans Aware of 'Pre-Diabetes'

“Too many American adults are unaware of "pre-diabetes" and not enough take action to reduce their risk, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released Thursday. People with pre-diabetes -- a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes -- are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. But lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise can prevent or delay development of diabetes and its complications. More than 25 percent of Americans have pre-diabetes but, in 2006, only 4 percent of adults had ever been told they had the condition, said the CDC researchers, who analyzed data on about 24,000 adults who took part in the 2006 U.S. National Health Interview Survey. It's not too late to turn those numbers around, experts said. ‘An important opportunity exists to reduce the preventable burden of diabetes and its complications by increasing awareness of pre-diabetes among those who have the condition, and encouraging the adoption of healthier lifestyles and risk reduction activities among all U.S. adults,’ the researchers wrote in a summary of their study. They added that people at increased risk for diabetes should lose or control their weight, increase their physical activity levels, and be tested according to published recommendations.”

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