With early detection and awareness, you can take steps to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. Your doctor will help you create a plan and set goals that work for you.

They may also refer you to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC recognized, evidence-based lifestyle change program. Learn about lifestyle change programs.

It leads to unhealthy cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, high blood sugar and even stroke. The good news? Losing just pounds can make a big difference.

Get started. Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches your organs and can cause high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol, heart attacks and strokes. If you have high blood pressure, you're not alone; it affects nearly one in three American adults.

You may need medication to get it under control. Researchers are exploring the link between type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. The two share some risk factors, such as age, gender and ethnicity, and lifestyle factors. Breadcrumb Home About Diabetes Get smart about risks and diabetes prevention.

Diabetes Prevention. High blood sugar can reduce blood flow and damage the nerves in your feet. Left untreated, cuts and blisters can lead to serious infections. Diabetes can lead to pain, tingling or loss of sensation in your feet. If you have diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking or high blood pressure, your doctor may recommend taking a low dose of aspirin every day to help reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.

If you don't have additional cardiovascular risk factors, the risk of bleeding from aspirin use may outweigh any of its benefits. Ask your doctor whether daily aspirin therapy is appropriate for you, including which strength of aspirin would be best.

Alcohol can cause high or low blood sugar, depending on how much you drink and whether you eat at the same time. If you choose to drink, do so only in moderation, which means no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.

Always drink with a meal or snack, and remember to include the calories from any alcohol you drink in your daily calorie count. Also, be aware that alcohol can lead to low blood sugar later, especially for people who use insulin. If you're stressed, it's easy to neglect your usual diabetes care routine.

To manage your stress, set limits. Prioritize your tasks. Learn relaxation techniques. Get plenty of sleep.

And above all, stay positive. Diabetes care is within your control. If you're willing to do your part, diabetes won't stand in the way of an active, healthy life. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health.

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Show references American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes — Diabetes Care. Smoking and diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed Oct. Wexler DJ. Overview of general medical care in nonpregnant adults with diabetes mellitus.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Caring for diabetic feet. Foot complications. American Diabetes Association. Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Mayo Clinic; Boden MT, et al. Exploring correlates of diabetes-related stress among adults with type 1 diabetes in the T1D exchange clinic registry.

Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. Guo J, et al. Perceived stress and self-efficacy are associated with diabetes self-management among adolescents with type 1 diabetes: A moderated mediation analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Products and Services The Mayo Clinic Diet Online A Book: The Essential Diabetes Book.

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If you are at very high risk, obese, and under 60 years of age, your doctor may also recommend medication. Preventing Diabetes. Diabetes Diabetes During Pregnancy Diabetes Management Foods that Fend Off Diabetes Managing Pre-Diabetes and Preventing Diabetes Preventing Diabetes.

Diet and exercise Weight loss resulting from healthy eating and increased physical activity enables muscle cells to use insulin and glucose more efficiently, thus lowering diabetes risk. Avoid complications Although cutting out fatty foods and sweets and motivating oneself to maintain a daily exercise program can take some discipline, the payoff is tremendous because people at risk for diabetes are much more prone to developing cardiovascular disease.

Early detection "Detecting diabetes early by screening those at high risk, especially because many people do not exhibit symptoms, is vital to preventing complications," Dr.

Tips Experts recommend incorporating the following suggestions into a health care regimen: Exercise at least 30 minutes a day Eat a low-fat, low-sugar diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains Maintain your ideal weight through sufficient exercise and well-balanced meals Check your blood cholesterol at least once a year.

American Diabetes Association. We use cookies to measure website traffic and personalize content for a better browsing experience. Exercise has many health benefits , including helping you to lose weight and lower your blood sugar levels. These both lower your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Try to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week. If you have not been active, talk with your health care professional to figure out which types of exercise are best for you. You can start slowly and work up to your goal. Don't smoke. Smoking can contribute to insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes.

If you already smoke, try to quit. Talk to your health care provider to see whether there is anything else you can do to delay or to prevent type 2 diabetes. If you are at high risk, your provider may suggest that you take one of a few types of diabetes medicines.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Learn More. Aim for a Healthy Weight Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Also in Spanish Diabetes Prevention: 5 Tips for Taking Control Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Also in Spanish Diabetes Risk Factors American Heart Association Prevent Type 2 Diabetes in Kids Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish Preventing Type 2 Diabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Also in Spanish Simple Steps to Preventing Diabetes Harvard School of Public Health Your Game Plan to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Clinical Trials. gov: Preventing Diabetes Type 2 National Institutes of Health. Article: Public Expectations and Needs Related to Type 2 Diabetes Prevention: A These symptoms are usually corrected by taking a small portion of quick-digesting carbohydrate such as 4 ounces of juice or soda, glucose tablets, or a tablespoon of sugar or honey.

Severe symptoms are rare and typically occur only in people with type 1 diabetes who are using insulin. These include seizures, unconsciousness, or such disorientation that the person is unable to eat, drink, or call for help. Anyone with type 1 diabetes should wear a medical alert bracelet indicating that they have diabetes.

They may also wish to keep a glucagon emergency kit nearby and teach family members, friends, and coworkers how to give a glucagon injection, which will quickly raise their blood sugar. There are different types of diabetes, including prediabetes, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, latent autoimmune diabetes, and gestational diabetes.

The most common types in the U. are prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, which are largely influenced by carrying excess body fat, a poor diet, and lack of exercise. In , the total estimated cost of diagnosed cases of diabetes in the U. Secondary health problems stemming from diabetes are equally alarming.

High blood glucose levels can damage organs and tissues. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness and kidney failure among adults. It causes mild to severe nerve damage that, coupled with diabetes-related circulation problems, often leads to the loss of a leg or foot.

Diabetes significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease including heart attacks and strokes. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the U. Type 1 diabetes mellitus type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which immune cells attack and permanently disable the insulin-making cells in the pancreas.

It has also been called juvenile-onset or insulin-dependent diabetes because it was once believed that only children developed this form and that insulin was only used for type 1 diabetes. These terms are now inaccurate because it is possible for older adults to develop type 1 diabetes called type 1 diabetes onset in adults , and people with later stages of type 2 diabetes sometimes require insulin.

Insulin is a hormone that shuttles glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells to be used for energy. If the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, blood glucose levels may continue to rise to a dangerous level.

This is why people with type 1 diabetes must inject insulin. It is possible that a person may have these antibodies but not show any symptoms in the early stages. For reasons not clearly understood, children who develop type 1 diabetes require insulin treatment much sooner and quicker than adults who develop the disease.

Risk factors for type 1 diabetes: Type 1 diabetes is believed to be caused by an immune reaction in which the body attacks itself by mistake. Therefore, risk factors are less understood than other types of diabetes.

The following may place one at higher risk:. Reducing risk—an active research area: Because this diabetes type is an autoimmune disease, researchers are seeking to discover medications that might alter the immune system so that it does not attack and destroy the insulin-producing beta cells.

Another main focus is earlier genetic screening to better determine who is at high risk of developing type 1 diabetes, and if one has any residual production of insulin.

If physicians can catch those at high risk even before they have developed the autoimmunity, they may be able to intervene to preserve beta cell function.

It is believed that there may be environmental factors that trigger the immune system to begin attacking beta cells. Other factors being investigated are viral infections, increasing obesity rates , psychosocial stress, and the gut microbiome.

There are numerous study groups actively researching the prevention of type 1 diabetes. One of the largest is the Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Study Group, an international network of physicians and scientists working in 25 clinical centers who are researching ways to prevent, delay, and reverse the progression of type 1 diabetes by preserving insulin production before and after diagnosis.

Latent autoimmune diabetes of adults LADA is a subtype of type 1 diabetes. But LADA progresses more slowly than type 1 diabetes so that insulin medication may not be needed for up to several years after being diagnosed.

If a person with LADA is still making some insulin, healthy lifestyle changes might delay its progression. However, if the disease progresses so that they produce less or no insulin, they will likely require insulin medication.

Because people with LADA are often able to produce some insulin at younger ages, they are typically not diagnosed until an adult, usually after age However, because of their older age at diagnosis, they may be misdiagnosed with type 2 diabetes even though they do not have insulin resistance, and may be at a normal weight, eat a healthful diet, and exercise, which is not typical for an individual who has type 2 diabetes.

LADA is diagnosed by the presence of antibodies, diabetes diagnosis at a later age, no family history of type 2 diabetes, and a progressive increase in insulin needs. If someone diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is having increasing difficulty controlling the diabetes with oral medications and healthy lifestyle changes alone, he or she may wish to be screened for LADA.

Gestational diabetes mellitus gestational diabetes is a condition of high blood sugar levels during the 2 nd trimester of pregnancy usually occurring around the 24 th week. There are health risks for women with gestational diabetes: pre-eclampsia high blood pressure during pregnancy , caesarean section, and risk of larger than normal babies, which can increase the risk of complications during delivery.

She is also at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes at some point in the future. Gestational diabetes is believed to be caused by the development of insulin resistance, in which the mother produces insulin but the hormone does not work properly. It is unclear why some pregnant women develop insulin resistance and others do not, but being overweight or obese prior to pregnancy increases the risk of developing gestational diabetes.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says that losing extra weight and increasing physical activity before becoming pregnant can lower the risk of developing gestational diabetes.

These lifestyle changes can improve how the body uses insulin and help blood glucose levels to stay normal. A Cochrane review looking at lifestyle changes during pregnancy found moderate evidence that both healthy diet and exercise reduced the risk of gestational diabetes and caesarean section when compared with standard care no special exercise or diet.

It is important to control blood glucose levels during pregnancy, because any extra glucose travels through the placenta to the baby.

If the baby does not need the extra glucose for energy, it will be stored as fat, which is why babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes tend to be larger than average. Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes have a higher chance of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life.

Gestational diabetes is treated with special meal plans, physical activity , and sometimes insulin injections.