Left unmanaged, pre-diabetes can develop into Type 2 diabetes within five to ten years, and this is the biggest risk. The American Diabetes Association says that over 1.5 million people were diagnosed with diabetes in 2005.  The bad news is the trend is an upwards one, with diabetes  having an increasingly detrimental impact upon the length and quality of life of Americans.

The best way to put the brakes on these dramatic figures is through the early diagnosis and treatment of those at risk for pre-diabetes. “Making the diagnosis of prediabetes is extremely important,” notes Joslin Diabetes Center’s Dr. Richard Jackson, "since clinical studies have shown that the progression from prediabetes to diabetes can be prevented.”

Studies in diabetes prevention have shown that if people are diagnosed and treated for pre-diabetes, their chances of developing Type 2 diabetes decrease dramatically. For some people with pre-diabetes, intervention can actually turn back the clock and return elevated blood glucose levels to the normal range. That's why it's so important to get checked out if you think you are at risk.

The only way to diagnose pre-diabetes is through a blood glucose test.

Two different blood-glucose tests can be used: The fasting plasma glucose test (FPG), in which blood glucose is measured after fasting overnight, or the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), in which blood glucose is measured after fasting overnight, and again after drinking a glucose-rich drink.

The FGP will show three possible diagnoses:
Normal. A fasting glucose between 70 and 100 milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood (mg/dl);
Pre-diabetes. A fasting blood glucose level between 100 and 125 mg/dl;
Diabetes. Fasting glucose above 126 mg/dl.

The OGTT test will show three possible diagnoses:
Normal. Glucose is at 140 mg/dl;
Pre-diabetes. Glucose is at 140-199 mg/dl;
Diabetes. Glucose levels above 200 mg/dl.

Surveys show that while many people are aware of their cholesterol and blood pressure, few know their blood glucose level. If you are older than 45 and overweight, you should have regular blood glucose checks. If you are younger than 45, but have one or more risk factors for pre-diabetes, you should also have regular testing. The American Diabetes Association recommends that those with normal blood glucose should retest blood glucose levels every three years, while those with pre-diabetes should be retested for Type 2 diabetes every one to two years after diagnosis of pre-diabetes.