Today (Tuesday) is Diabetes Alert Day and Iowans are being urged to take a simple, online survey to determine if they might be headed down a hazardous path. Katie Jones, program manager at the Iowa Department of Public Health, says it only takes a minute to complete the test. Jones says, “This is really to see if you’re at risk for a condition called prediabetes which is basically where blood glucose levels or blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough yet to be considered diabetes.”

The website is: Do I Have Prediabetes-dot-org. Jones says about one in every three Iowans are prediabetic and most of them don’t know it. “The test asks things like your age, because age is a big risk factor,” Jones says. “Simply getting older increases your risk. It also asks things like family history of diabetes, things like that.”

About one in 12 Iowans have diabetes and one in four have it and don’t know it. By knowing your risk level, Jones says Iowans can make a few key lifestyle changes to stave off type 2 diabetes. “The good news is, if you do have prediabetes, you can take steps to help prevent developing type 2 diabetes and even getting rid of prediabetes,” Jones says. “The National Diabetes Prevention Program can help you actually curb that progression.”

People with type 2 diabetes are at higher risk for heart disease, stroke and other serious complications. Prediabetes can often be reversed through modest weight loss — 5 to 7 percent of body weight — and making small changes to increase healthy eating and moderate physical activity.

(Radio Iowa)