Diabetes does not always reveal detectable symptoms. In fact, you can have type 2 diabetes for years without noticing anything’s amiss. But as it progresses, symptoms do emerge. They include unquenchable thirst, frequent urination, intense hunger, weight loss, tiredness, blurry vision, sores that are slow to heal, and more frequent bladder and vaginal infections for women. Of course, there are two signs of diabetes risk that are very clear: if you have become overweight and sedentary. Many cases of adult-onset diabetes are linked directly to too much weight and too little exercise.

• In the U.S. alone, more than 6 million people don’t know that they have diabetes.
• Blood-sugar tests are inexpensive and easily administered. Err on the side of frequent tests, since diabetes symptoms are often hard to detect.
• Despite having much different causes, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes share the same symptoms.
• Women whose waists measure 35 inches or more, and men with waists measuring above 40 inches have triple the risk of getting diabetes.
• Diabetes can cause weight loss as your body’s cells become unable to absorb the blood sugar it needs for fuel.

Featuring the top 3 experts for this topic