Tuesday is the annual American Diabetes Association Alert Day – a “wake-up call” asking the American public to take the Diabetes Risk Test to find out if they may be developing type 2 diabetes. With 86 million people living with prediabetes, most of whom are unaware, it’s important to take one minute to protect your health. 

On Alert Day, Americans are asked to take the risk test at diabetes.org/risktest and to start living a healthy and active lifestyle to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

McCook’s Pharmacy in Statesboro at 23630 Highway 80 East is offering free diabetes risk tests. Call (912) 764-2223 for more information.

Diabetes is a serious disease that strikes nearly 29 million Americans including nearly 1 in every 10 individuals in Georgia. A quarter of those affected by diabetes are not aware that they have it. Recent estimates project that as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes by 2050 unless we take the steps to stop diabetes.

Prediabetes means that one’s blood glucose (sugar) is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Early intervention via lifestyle changes, such as weight loss and increased physical activity, can help delay or prevent type 2 diabetes.

Unfortunately, diagnosis often comes seven to 10 years after the onset of the disease, after disabling and even deadly complications have had time to develop. Therefore, early diagnosis is critical to successful treatment and delaying or preventing some of its complications, such as heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, stroke, amputation, and death.  

The primary risk factors for type 2 diabetes are being overweight, sedentary, over the age of 45, and having a family history of diabetes.  African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders are at an increased risk for developing the disease.