If you are at risk for diabetes (being overweight or having a family history for diabetes), get screened. Diabetes is a serious cardiac risk factor and carries the same weight for having a heart attack as having established coronary disease. Diabetes can cause multiple other medical problems including kidney failure, blindness, peripheral neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, and peripheral vascular disease, often leading to lower limb amputation.
The prevalence of diabetes is growing rapidly. In 1990, less than 5% of Americans had diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control in 2010, 10% of all Americans had diabetes, and 26.9% of Americans over the age of 65 had diabetes. The CDC projects that by 2050 as many as 1 in 3 Americans will have the disease!
Diabetes can be treated with medications. In many cases, diabetes can be cured, yes CURED, with diet and exercise. So, see your doctor, get tested, and get treated if you have it.
I would value your assessment of my history of this issue: About 10 years ago, I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic and since then, back to normal and back to pre-, back and forth, depending on my weight.
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