Are You At Risk for Diabetes? Take the Test

About 38 million people in the United States have type 2 diabetes, a chronic condition that makes it difficult for your cells to respond to insulin. Diabetes symptoms can be hard to spot—you may even go years without noticing.

Diabetes symptoms may be difficult to notice, so knowing the condition’s risk factors can be helpful. Knowing if you have factors that put you at higher risk can help you monitor any changes to your body that could be signs of diabetes. 

If you’ve been experiencing changes to your body, health, and daily routine that make you wonder whether you have diabetes, this quiz can help you assess your risk.

Take the Quiz

Only a healthcare provider can make an official diagnosis, but this quiz might help you decide whether you have enough diabetes risk factors to warrant a visit to your provider. The quiz asks about you, your lifestyle, and your symptoms to help gauge your diabetes risk.

Who Is This Diabetes Test For?

This quiz is for anyone who wants to know if they are at low, medium, or high risk for type 2 diabetes. 

You might already know you have certain risk factors but want to better understand how much they impact your likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. Or maybe you’re not familiar with type 2 diabetes risk factors. In that case, you may want to use this quiz to learn about your risk factors and how significantly they affect your risk.

About This Diabetes Test

This quiz was developed in partnership with Danielle Weiss, MD, an endocrinologist at California's Center for Hormonal Health and Well-Being and member of Health.com's Medical Expert Board.

Each question is based on a different risk factor for diabetes. Your risk can be influenced by factors such as sex, age, race, activity level, and specific conditions. These are factors a healthcare provider would ask you about. They're all included in this quiz.

Each response option corresponds to one of three risk levels: low, medium, or high. Your final result is based on your responses to the six questions.

Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes

Anyone can develop type 2 diabetes, but some people may be at greater risk. There are some risk factors you can’t do anything about, known as non-modifiable risk factors. These include:

• Family history: If any of your biological parents or siblings have diabetes, you may be at greater risk.
• Race or ethnicity: Certain groups have a greater risk of developing diabetes. You may be at higher risk if you are Native American/Alaskan Native, Black, Hispanic, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.
• Age: Your risk increases as you get older. Diabetes is usually diagnosed in people older than 45.

Other risk factors can be managed to help reduce your diabetes risk. These are known as modifiable risk factors and include:

• Weight: Being overweight or having obesity can increase your risk of diabetes.
• Physical activity: Being inactive can increase your risk.
• Blood pressure: Hypertension (high blood pressure) can increase your risk.
• Prediabetes: Having blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be considered diabetes is known as prediabetes. Without taking steps to lower your blood sugar, prediabetes can become diabetes.
• Gestational diabetes: If you had diabetes while pregnant, your chance of developing diabetes again later in life is higher. You can often resolve gestational diabetes with changes like an improved diet.

Signs of Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes symptoms can be mild enough that you don’t notice them. More noticeable symptoms can include increased urination, thirst, and hunger. You may also feel fatigued or have blurry vision or slow-healing cuts and bruises.

Before you even develop diabetes, though, you might experience symptoms of prediabetes. Signs of prediabetes—and signs that you may be at risk for diabetes—include the following:

• Areas of unusually darkened skin on your armpits or the folds of your neck
• Small skin growths on your armpits or the folds of your neck
• Increased hunger
• A decrease or increase in weight without trying 
• Weakness or fatigue
• Increased sweat
• Blurry visions
• Cuts and bruises that take longer than usual to heal
• Increase in skin infections
• Bleeding gums

How Type 2 Diabetes Is Diagnosed

Bloodwork is the only way to diagnose type 2 diabetes. Several blood tests can measure your blood sugar and determine whether you have diabetes. 

One test is an A1C test, which measures your average blood sugar over the past two or three months. Another is a fasting blood sugar test, which measures your blood sugar after a night of fasting. 

Your healthcare provider may want to test your blood sugar if you have risk factors for diabetes.

How To Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Preventing type 2 diabetes isn’t always possible, but making lifestyle changes can help. Even if the changes don’t prevent diabetes entirely, they may help you delay its onset. Delaying diabetes onset can reduce your risk of diabetes complications, which are more likely to occur the longer you have diabetes.

Losing weight is a primary way to prevent or delay diabetes if your healthcare provider recommends it. Engaging in at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity five days a week and eating a balanced diet can support weight loss. Regular activity and nutritious food are important even if you don’t need to lose weight.

Talk to your healthcare provider if you are concerned that you have or are at risk for type 2 diabetes. They can help you determine the next steps to take.