Nearly a third of US teens have prediabetes, CDC finds

Nearly a third of U.S. teens are prediabetic, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2023, a count found that an estimated 8.4 million adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 – or 32.7 percent – fell into that category.

The alarming results are a “wake-up call,” Dr. Christopher Holliday, the agency’s top official in charge of diabetes prevention, said in a statement to ABC News. He said that the risk of type 2 diabetes poses a "significant threat" to young people's health.

With prediabetes, a person’s blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Having prediabetes increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as heart disease and stroke. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.

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Source: The Independent, 8 July 2025