Most of us know someone living with diabetes—most commonly, type 2 diabetes. American Diabetes Alert Day is a day to bring attention to the risk factors associated with developing type 2 diabetes, which can in turn lead to a variety of health problems if not controlled with exercise, diet modifications and in some cases, medicines or insulin. Because the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes can be life-altering, such as kidney disease, neuropathy leading to amputations, and vision loss, it is important to be aware of your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and what can be done to manage the risk—or control diabetes you already live with.

The American Diabetes Association has a quick screening survey to help Americans determine if they are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Risk factors are some things that you can control and some that you cannot, such as your age, gender, ethnicity, and family history of developing diabetes—there is a genetic component to type 2 diabetes, so you are more likely to develop it if an immediate family member does. [1]

Risk factors you can control include your physical activity level and weight, both of which can improve your sensitivity to insulin and prevent developing type 2 diabetes, a disease where your body produces less insulin than it needs and/or becomes resistant to the insulin it produces.

The only difference between preventing and managing type 2 diabetes, is that once you develop diabetes, you may need to take medications and to test your blood glucose regularly. Pre-diabetes is a somewhat elevated blood glucose level—a warning sign that type 2 diabetes may be imminent, but with some changes, a person is sometimes able to reverse the change that has occurred and not develop type 2 diabetes—most often, weight loss of 5 to 10% made through lifestyle changes as recommended by a healthcare professional, can put developing diabetes on pause if you have pre-diabetes [2] There is no cure for type 2 diabetes, but it can be managed.

Healthy steps that can help prevent onset of type 2 diabetes—as well help manage blood sugars if you have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes—include [2]:

One great resource written by people living with Type 2 Diabetes is Type2Diabetes.Net. This site has plenty of resources, recipes, and a great community to hep you manage balancing diabetes with living a life you enjoy that doesn’t feel restricted! As well, wearing medical ID jewelry can help you stay safe and ensure others are aware of your diabetes, such as if you need assistance during a low blood sugar which can occur as a result of medication or insulin use. Check out our selection of medical ID jewelry here.