Before people develop Type 2 diabetes, they almost always have "pre-diabetes" – blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. There are 41 million people in the United States, ages 40 to 74, who have pre-diabetes. Recent research has shown that some long-term damage to the body, especially the heart and circulatory system, may already be occurring during pre-diabetes.

Research has also shown that if you take action to manage your blood glucose when you have pre-diabetes, you can delay or prevent Type 2 diabetes from ever developing.

There is a lot you can do to know your risks for pre-diabetes and to take action to prevent diabetes if you have, or are at risk for, pre-diabetes. The American Diabetes Association has a wealth of resources for people with diabetes.[Revised 02/04/10]