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About one-third of U.S. adults have high blood sugar levels, a condition called pre-diabetes, which often precedes Type 2 diabetes and can progress to full-blown disease. Dr. Barry said most people are unaware that screening is necessary because they do not produce obvious symptoms.
Being overweight or obese is the most important risk factor for Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, the most common type of diabetes. Lifestyle changes, including increasing physical activity, eating a healthier diet, and losing a small amount of weight, can prevent progression from pre-diabetes to full-blown diabetes. (Medication is also an option.)
Screening usually includes a blood test to determine if blood sugar (or glucose) is elevated. The task force has called for lowering the age at first screening to 35 because this is when the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes begins to rise upwards. The task force said screening should be done every three years until age 70.
An endocrinologist, Dr. Tannaz Moin an accompanying editorial He said the new recommendations are a step in the right direction to lower the screening age and are pleased that guidelines emphasize the importance of pre-diabetes detection.
“There is much more acceptance that pre-diabetes is a big problem that is often overlooked,” he said. Detection of pre-diabetes in young adults is very important because if they develop at a relatively young age, they can live with diabetes for a long time and have a higher risk of developing complications.
Intense lifestyle interventions that focus on moderate weight loss and include 150 minutes of physical activity per week can prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes in overweight or obese people with prediabetes. A drug, metformin, is also an option, but not as beneficial as lifestyle changes.
Dr. “We have really good evidence that if we get people with pre-diabetes to do something about their risk, we can delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes,” Moin said. “It’s the same for people with type 2 diabetes: Once we know they have it, we have a whole bunch of toolboxes to offer them.”
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