Did you know? More than 10% of people in the U.S. have Type 2 diabetes, a disease that prevents your body from using insulin properly to control blood sugar.

Diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, vision loss, kidney disease and nerve damage. Perhaps most frightening, as many as 7.3 million U.S. adults have the condition but don’t know they have it.

Luckily, there are things you can do to prevent or delay diabetes. Our team at AFC Urgent Care Sevierville would like to share some insight.

What Is Prediabetes?

Along the way to developing diabetes, people usually have prediabetes. This isn’t a disease, but a condition in which your blood sugar is higher than it should be.

Your doctor can diagnose prediabetes with simple tests. An A1C test can tell your doctor about your average blood sugar for the past three months. A fasting glucose test tells how high your blood sugar is after you’ve fasted overnight.

Risk Factors for Prediabetes/Diabetes

• Excess weight
• Sedentary behavior
• Age 45 or older
• Race (Black, Latino/a, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander)
• Close relatives with diabetes
• High blood pressure or high triglycerides
• History of polycystic ovary syndrome or diabetes during pregnancy

If I Have Prediabetes, How Can I Avoid Diabetes?

Being told you have prediabetes can be scary. But it’s also a great opportunity to work with your doctor on delaying or preventing diabetes.

If you have prediabetes, you can empower yourself by losing weight, eating a healthy diet that’s higher in colorful vegetables and lower in carbs and fats, and exercising every day. You can also ask your doctor how else to improve your health.

Questions for Your Doctor

• Do I need to be screened for diabetes/prediabetes?
• What eating plans can you recommend?
• Do I need any other screening tests?
• What exercises would be safe and effective for me?

In need of medical care? Make an AFC TeleCare appointment with our AFC Urgent Care Sevierville team or stop by today to get the care you need.