Overweight Adults Should Be Screened for Diabetes at 35, Experts Say
By Roni Caryn Rabin, 8/24/21, NY Times

The new recommendation, which does not apply to pregnant
women, comes amid cresting rates of obesity and diabetes
in the US. It means that over 40% of the adult population
should now be screened, according to one estimate.

Nearly 1 in 7 American adults now has diabetes, the
highest rate on record, a recent study found. There has
been little improvement over the past decade in patients’
ability to manage the condition, keeping in check their
blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol.

The increase is especially troubling amid the pandemic,
as diabetes is one of the chronic medical conditions that
increase the risk that a coronavirus infection will lead
to severe illness, hospitalization or even death.

Diabetes is linked to heart disease and liver disease, &
it's the leading cause of kidney failure & new blindness
in adults. The condition can lead to limb amputation,
nerve damage and other complications.

“The Covid epidemic is really important, but we also have
an epidemic of diabetes and pre-diabetes driven by the
epidemic of obesity and lack of exercise,” said Dr.
Michael J. Barry, the vice chair of the task force who
directs the informed medical decisions program at Mass
General Hospital in Boston. “All these conditions that
we’ve lived with for years are still out there.”

About 1/3 of U.S. adults have high blood sugar levels,
a condition called pre-diabetes that often precedes Type 2
diabetes and can progress to full blown disease. Most are
unaware they have the condition, which doesn’t produce
obvious symptoms & is why screening is essential,
Dr. Barry said.

Being overweight or obese is the most important risk
factor for the most common type of diabetes, Type 2
diabetes, and for pre-diabetes. Lifestyle changes —
including increasing physical activity, eating a healthier
diet and losing even a modest amount of weight — can
prevent the progression from pre-diabetes to full
diabetes. (Drug treatment is also an option.)

Intensive lifestyle interventions that focus on moderate
weight loss and include 150 minutes of physical activity
per week can prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes
in overweight or obese people with pre-diabetes. A drug,
metformin, is also an option but is not as beneficial as
lifestyle changes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/24/health/diabetes-weight-screening.html

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