Find Out Your Risk For Diabetes

The American Diabetes Association offers a free Diabetes Risk Test to help determine if diabetes is in your future. The test addresses age, weight, exercise level, family history, and if you are a woman, whether you have given birth to babies weighing over 9 pounds.

The ADA asks, "Could you have diabetes and not know it?" The ADA Diabetes Risk Test addresses the fact that nearly one third of all people with diabetes don't even know that they have it. That's 6.2 million people, by the ADA's estimate.

Can the test help pinpoint people at risk for diabetes or even pre-diabetes? I took the test, to find out. I plugged all my necessary information into the test. Well, my results were pretty dramatic. It turns out I am in the high risk range for Type 2 diabetes. Here I thought that what I was already doing for my health was "good enough". Apparently not. According to my test results, if I increase my exercise, my risk falls into the medium risk category. That's impressive. It's also a good motivator to go out and get some more exercise!

• Exercising When You Have Diabetes
• But I Hate To Exercise

The ADA suggests that people who fall into the high risk range should lose weight if they need to, increase their activity level, and eat low fat meals emphasizing fruits, vegetables and whole grains. They also recommend a visit to a healthcare provider as a followup to check for sure if diabetes is in the picture.

• Assembling Your Own Personal Healthcare Team
• Top Risk Factors For Type 2 Diabetes

Finding out that you are at risk for diabetes can be a frightening thing. But it is better to know about the risks. Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease, with many potential long-term complications. Being aware of your risk is your best defense. It can help you choose the road to good health instead of the road to developing diabetes.