Preventing Diabetes
Obesity is a risk factor for diabetes. There is strong evidence that overweight people with pre-diabetes can reduce their risk of developing diabetes by up to 60% with modest increases in physical activity and decreases in weight. Lifestyle changes are more effective at preventing or delaying diabetes than drug therapy.
Make Changes in Your Lifestyle | Get Screened for Diabetes or Pre-Diabetes
Make Changes in Your Lifestyle
Regular Physical Activity: 30 minutes per day on most days.
Click here [Espanol] 
for more information on physical activity.
Weight Control: Adults should try to keep their body mass index [BMI] under 25, the threshold for being classified as overweight.
Click here [Espanol] for more information on making some healthy diet changes.
Recently, people at high risk for developing diabetes have been described as having pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes is defined as either impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance. Without lifestyle changes, most people with pre-diabetes will develop diabetes within 10 years. People with pre-diabetes are also at a 50% greater risk of developing heart attack or stroke than are people without pre-diabetes.
Get Screened for Diabetes or Pre-Diabetes
- • If you have hypertension or hyperlipidemia
- • If you are 45 years of age or older and overweight (BMI greater than or equal to 25). If your test is normal, get a follow-up test in 3 years.
To calculate your BMI, visit http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi or ask your doctor. As an example, a man of 5'10” would be overweight (BMI>25) if he weighed 175. Similarly, a woman of 5'4” would be overweight if she weighed 146 pounds.
