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90% of People At Risk for Diabetes 2 Have No Idea of Their Risks

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Mar 21, 2013 01:45 PM EDT

With the recent announcement that the United States spent $245 billion on diabetes care in 2012, preventable measures for type two diabetes are more important than ever. According to a new study, roughly 79 million people in the country have prediabetes, a condition in which the blood sugar level is abnormally high but has yet to reach the level to be considered diabetes, and an alarming percentage of them do not know they have this condition. The new report presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that almost 90 percent of people do not realize their risks in developing diabetes two, a percentage that is way too high for comfort.

This new statistic reveals why the number of new cases of type two diabetes continues to grow. If people are unaware of their prediabetes, they cannot use preventive measures and adopt new dietary habits to prevent from developing the disease. The risk factor for people with prediabetes ranges from 15 to 30 percent. If the condition of prediabetes is left unchecked, diabetes two will develop within five years. The diagnosis for prediabetes is very important s because it gives the person a chance to change their lifestyles and avoid developing a disease that will complicate their lifestyles and health in the long run.

The CDC's survey stated that from 2005 to 2006, only seven percent of people with prediabetes were aware of their conditions. The CDC continued to monitor people's awareness and found that from 2009-2010, the percentage jumped up to 11. Although the percentage of awareness increased, it is still a very small group of people who know of their own risks. In addition, the researchers observed that people who knew they were at risk for diabetes already had conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity.

This report stresses people to be more aware of their possible risks, which would help them to choose healthier options and forestall the development of the disease. Furthermore, this report recommends people to keep an eye on their own blood sugar levels with the help of their doctors.

The report was published in this week's CDC's Morbidity and Morality Weekly Report. 

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