Prediabetes means blood sugar is higher than normal but not yet high enough to count as type 2 diabetes. It is common, usually silent and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), often reversible, which makes the numbers worth understanding.
How common is prediabetes in the United States?
According to the CDC, about 115 million American adults have prediabetes, which the agency describes as more than 2 in 5. The CDC’s National Diabetes Statistics Report, as of its page dated September 16, 2026, puts the figure at 115.2 million adults aged 18 and older.
Because prediabetes rarely causes symptoms, awareness is low. The CDC says 8 in 10 people with prediabetes do not know they have it.
The same report gives context on diabetes itself:
| Measure (U.S. adults 18+) | CDC estimate |
|---|---|
| Prediabetes | 115.2 million |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 28.8 million |
| Undiagnosed diabetes | 11.0 million (27.6% of adults with diabetes) |
Those last two rows hang together. Adding 28.8 million and 11.0 million gives 39.8 million adults with diabetes, and 11.0 divided by 39.8 is about 27.6%. In rough terms, adults with prediabetes outnumber adults with diabetes by almost three to one (115.2 divided by 39.8 is about 2.9). The CDC separately says about 1 in 8 Americans has diabetes, a figure that covers the total population.
What do the blood-test numbers mean?
The most common test for diagnosis is the A1C, which reflects average blood sugar over roughly the previous few months. The CDC lists these ranges:
| A1C result | Category |
|---|---|
| Below 5.7% | Normal |
| 5.7% to 6.4% | Prediabetes |
| 6.5% or above | Diabetes |
A result in the middle band is a warning rather than a diagnosis of diabetes. The CDC notes that a doctor’s simple blood test is used to confirm where someone stands, and clinicians may use other glucose tests alongside the A1C. Those details, and what any single result means for a particular person, are matters for a clinician.
Who is more likely to develop it?
The CDC lists several risk factors for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes:
- Carrying extra weight
- Being 45 or older
- Having a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes
- Exercising fewer than three times a week
- Having non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Having had gestational diabetes, or having given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
- Being African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native; some Pacific Islander and Asian American people also face higher risk
Having several of these does not mean a person will develop the condition, and having none does not rule it out. The list is a guide to who might reasonably ask about screening. The CDC also offers a one-minute risk test that, if the score is high, points toward a confirming blood test.
Is prediabetes reversible?
The CDC says prediabetes can be reversed, and that losing a small amount of weight through healthy eating and more physical activity can cut the risk of type 2 diabetes in half for people with prediabetes. That claim rests on a large body of research, summarized in the agency’s guidance for clinicians.
Specifically, the CDC reports that in the research behind its lifestyle change program, participants had a 58% lower incidence of type 2 diabetes after losing 5% to 7% of body weight. They did this by reducing calories and raising physical activity to at least 150 minutes per week.
Two caveats matter:
- The 58% figure is a relative reduction in the rate of new diabetes cases, not a promise for any one person.
- “Reversed” refers to returning blood sugar to a healthier range. The underlying risk can return if habits change back.
What does a 5% to 7% weight loss look like in practice?
The percentage can sound abstract, so here is illustrative arithmetic. For a person who weighs 200 pounds, 5% is 10 pounds and 7% is 14 pounds, so the range is 10 to 14 pounds. For someone weighing 250 pounds, the same range is 12.5 to 17.5 pounds.
The activity target is similarly concrete. 150 minutes a week works out to 30 minutes on five days, or about 21 to 22 minutes every day. The target is not a marathon. It is roughly a brisk daily walk, though what suits a given person depends on their health and their doctor’s advice.
Does the benefit last, and does age matter?
The CDC reports that the benefit is not limited to the short term. Participants in lifestyle change programs had a 27% lower incidence of type 2 diabetes after 15 years. That is a smaller gap than the headline figure from the early years, which is a realistic picture: habits and weight drift over time, and the advantage narrows, though it does not vanish.
Age also appears to matter. The CDC cites a 71% reduction in incidence for people 60 and older, higher than the 58% for the overall group. Older adults, a growing share of the population as the world’s aging population shows, may therefore have the most to gain from acting on a prediabetes result.
What is the National Diabetes Prevention Program?
The CDC supports a nationwide network of lifestyle change programs, known as the National Diabetes Prevention Program. According to the agency, it is intended for people whose doctor has confirmed prediabetes or who are at high risk. Its features include:
- A trained Lifestyle Coach who leads the group
- Guidance on healthy eating and physical activity
- Help with stress, motivation and problem-solving
- A full year of group support, delivered in person or online
The CDC’s pages do not specify a single national meeting schedule, so anyone interested should check the details with the specific program, or ask a doctor for a referral. The group format is part of the design: the evidence suggests that structured support, rather than a one-off piece of advice, is what helps people make changes and stick with them.
Where do sleep, tracking and other care fit in?
The CDC’s guidance centers on food, movement and weight, but daily routines surround those. Poor rest can make healthy habits harder to keep, and the evidence on better sleep offers practical ways to improve it. Some people use devices to monitor activity, though whether wearable trackers actually improve health is a question with a mixed answer.
For follow-up conversations about test results, telehealth can be a convenient first step, even though a blood test itself needs a lab or clinic.
Why a middle-band result deserves attention
Prediabetes sits in an awkward space: no symptoms, a blood-test result that falls short of diabetes and a diagnosis that can feel easy to put off. Yet the CDC’s figures show it is the stage at which a modest change, such as a 5% to 7% drop in weight and about 150 minutes of weekly activity, has the strongest evidence behind it. With roughly 8 in 10 affected adults unaware, the first step for many people may simply be finding out their number.
This article is general information and is not medical advice. Speak to a doctor or other qualified clinician about testing, diagnosis and any changes to diet or activity.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
