As the number of people who are diagnosed with Type-2 Diabetes continues to increase, doctors say there are several steps people can take to avoid or reverse their diagnosis.
Doctors say first need to find what their blood sugar level is. If they do not know, they should visit a doctor for the routine test.
They say if someone's blood sugar level is high, that could be a red flag.
Dr. Brent Smith with the American Academy of Family Physicians says even before people begin to see symptoms of the disease, it's important they visit their doctor annually to be screened and evaluated for diabetes risk.
"We would all be a lot happier treating and preventing it than we would be dealing with the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes or other medical conditions. For a long time, diabetes and hypertension were both known as what are called silent diseases, meaning they are affecting your body and causing long term damage before you start to have a lot of physical symptoms," says Smith.
One sign that someone could develop Type-2 Diabetes is increased thirst and urination.
"When you're a diabetic and you have this extra sugar floating around in your system, your body tends to either tends to get rid of it through your urine," says Dr. Brent Smith with the American academy of family physicians.
Other signs to watch out for include sluggishness, general malaise and not feeling like yourself.
Managing your weight can also reduce the risk of Type-2 Diabetes, along with eating a healthy diet, cutting out sugar as much as possible and exercising regularly.
"The recommendation for exercise is a total of 100 and 50 minutes over the course of the week which breaks down to about 30 minutes of a brisk walk or cardiovascular exercise five days a week," says Smith.