6 diabetes risk factors — and why you should get tested
With the right information and a supportive care team, people with diabetes can live a long and healthy life. The first step is understanding your risks.
The information in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice from your doctor.
More than 38 million people in the United States have diabetes — that’s more than 1 in 10 individuals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those statistics might be alarming enough, but there’s more: Almost 9 million people (one-quarter of those with diabetes) don’t know they have it.
“The key for diabetes management is starting treatment as early as possible”, says Pamela Eliason, FNP, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and a team lead for Matrix Medical Network in North Carolina. Diabetes is just one health problem that Matrix clinicians can help spot and treat during a Health and Well-being Assessment.
Once you know that you have diabetes, you can take early action to treat the chronic disease with lifestyle changes and medication, if needed, which can help prevent complications down the line. That’s important, because diabetes is a leading cause of death in the United States, and it can also put you at higher risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and vision loss.
Have questions about your health? A Health and Well-being Assessment is a great time to get answers from a licensed clinician — plus, it’s part of your Humana plan. Call Matrix Medical Network at 855-204-1752 877-302-3672 (TTY: 711) or schedule online (Weekdays: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m ET; Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET)
6 diabetes risk factors to know
These are the risk factors that increase your likelihood of developing diabetes.
1. Your age. Anyone can develop type 2 diabetes, but if you’re over age 35, your risk is higher.
2. Family history. Have your parents or a brother or sister been diagnosed with diabetes? This may suggest that you’re more prone to metabolic health problems. Don’t know? Now is a great time to ask about your family history.
3. Your race and ethnicity. Diabetes is more common in people who are African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, and Pacific Islander.
4. Personal health history. Having prediabetes — where your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to qualify as diabetes — puts you at higher risk of developing diabetes. In fact, research shows that the risk of progressing to diabetes over one’s lifetime is up to 57.5% in men and 80.2% in women who have prediabetes, according to one research study. Likewise, if you have gestational diabetes during pregnancy, it also increases your risk of developing diabetes — and the risk remains higher for decades, according to research.
5. Your health now. Having a weight that’s considered to be in the overweight or obese category raises your risk of developing high blood sugar and diabetes — and it can also contribute to high blood pressure and cholesterol. The good news is that just a small amount of weight loss (as little as 10 pounds) can lower that risk. Likewise, if you smoke, you’re 30% to 40% more likely to develop diabetes, compared with nonsmokers, because cigarette’s harmful chemicals can interfere with insulin function and contribute to increased inflammation levels in the body.
6. Your activity. Exercise causes your body’s cells to soak up blood sugar and use it for energy, and physical activity also improves insulin function, both of which help lower your blood sugar levels. Having a sedentary lifestyle, on the other hand, is a risk factor for diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week. And yes, walking counts. (Here are 5 tips to turn your daily walk into a workout.)
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When to get tested for diabetes, and how
Type 2 diabetes develops slowly, and the symptoms can be hard to notice. Symptoms might include:
- Peeing often, especially at night
- Feeling very thirsty all the time
- Losing weight without trying
- Feeling very tired
- Very dry skin
- Blurry vision
- Numbness or tingling in your hands and feet
You may not have any symptoms at all. The best way to know whether you have diabetes is to have a health care provider test you for it. Screening is important to catch diabetes early.
Adults should start testing for diabetes at age 35. You may need to start testing earlier if you are overweight or obese and have at least one other risk factor.
Whether you think you’re at risk of diabetes or not, a Matrix in-home health assessment can evaluate you for the disease. Remember, there are often no early symptoms of diabetes, so don’t wait until you notice health problems to get checked out. With a Matrix in-home assessment, your clinician will conduct a mini physical.
“We’ll also ask about any symptoms they may be experiencing that may indicate diabetes,” says Eliason. (For example, perhaps you are thirstier these days or you’re waking up several times a night to use the bathroom.) You can also get an in-home hemoglobin A1C test, which is a blood test that analyzes your average blood sugar over the last three months and can be used to diagnose diabetes.
If you already have diabetes, there are other tests that your clinician can give you to be on the lookout for health complications of diabetes, says Eliason, such as screening for peripheral artery disease or using a special camera that looks into the back of your eye to look for vision damage, two complications of the disease.
Bottom line: Having an in-home assessment can screen you for diabetes and help you manage it along the way. That can help you stay healthier and feel better.
See our sources:
Statistics about diabetes: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Risk factors for type 2 diabetes: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association
Smoking as a risk factor for diabetes: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Symptoms of diabetes: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Risk of progressing from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes: BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care
Risk of type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes: Diabetes Care
Blood glucose and exercise: American Diabetes Association
Weekly exercise targets: American Diabetes Association
Cited sources were last reviewed on 12/02/2025
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