Overview
- CDC analysis of NHANES data from 2017 to 2023 shows 32.7% of 12- to 17-year-olds—about 8.4 million teens—meet prediabetes criteria
- Prediabetes in youth significantly raises the likelihood of progressing to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke without intervention
- Research suggests 45% to 75% of adolescents may return to normal glucose levels after puberty, highlighting a critical prevention window
- American Diabetes Association guidelines call for testing teens with high BMI plus family history or other risk factors to catch prediabetes early
- New adult diabetes diagnoses stalled in 2023 at roughly 1.5 million cases after more than a decade of decline