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According to a study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, almost a quarter of young adults and around a fifth of adolescents in America have prediabetes.

What is Pre-diabetes?

Prediabetes is a condition wherein the blood sugar levels of a person are elevated, but they are not high enough that the person will be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. It was estimated that 18% of adolescents from ages 12 to 18 and 24% of young adults among the ages of 19 to 34 are prediabetic. Experts say that these numbers have risen over the past 10 years, putting young people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other conditions down the line.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that until recently, young children and teens almost never got type 2 diabetes, which is why it used to be called adult-onset diabetes. But now, about one-third of American youth are overweight, a problem that is closely related to the increase in kids with type 2 diabetes, some are even as young as 10 years old.

Type 1 diabetes is more commonly associated with children. It is an autoimmune condition in which the pancreas does not produce much insulin. In Type 2 diabetes, which develops over the years and has been linked to obesity, the body becomes less responsive to insulin. Insulin is needed to help balance the glucose in the bloodstream.

After analyzing almost 5,800 individuals included in a national health survey from 2005 to 2015, the authors of the study found that the prevalence of prediabetes in male individuals was almost twice than in female individuals. That is 22.5% of adolescent males vs. 13.4% of adolescent females and 29.1% male young adults vs. 18.8% female young adults.

Prediabetes was also common among young people with obesity, which is also linked to Type 2 diabetes in adults. More than a quarter of obese adolescents and more than a third of obese young adults were found to have prediabetes. Around 17% of those with normal weight are found to have prediabetes.

Young people were determined to have prediabetes through any of the several tests, glucose tolerance, fasting glucose or hemoglobin A1c. As a group, those who are seen to have prediabetes had higher systolic blood pressure. They also have more fat tissue around the abdomen, higher non-HDL cholesterol and lower insulin sensitivity than their peers with normal glucose tolerance.

Overall numbers are even higher for adults. Around a third of adults, or 84 million Americans, have prediabetes, according to the CDC. That is 9 in 10 people do not know that they have it. The authors of the study say that the findings highlight the need for primary and secondary prevention efforts tailored to the young segment of the US population.

How to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

The CDC says that lifestyle modifications, like exercise and proper diet, can help prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems.

It is also important to have your blood sugar tested every year in order to monitor the level. If your sugar level is high and alarming, doctors may recommend medication in order to keep it at bay.

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