On the 21st Annual American Diabetes Alert Day, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) asks you to take its quick test to gauge your risk for having or developing Type 2 diabetes, in which the body does not produce enough of the vital hormone insulin or fails to respond to it. The test is important, as ADA statistics show that roughly 25% of Americans have diabetes, without even knowing it.

Richard M. Bergenstal, a Minnesota-based endocrinologist says diabetes is a disease that can't be ignored, as if left untreated, it harms the eyes, nerves, kidneys, and heart, including the brain, with studies examining its link with Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline.

Being overweight or physically inactive, having high blood pressure or abnormal cholesterol, does not improve the odds of staying diabetes free.

Research shows pre-diabetic people i. e. those not yet diabetic but with higher-than-normal blood sugar levels, can cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by reducing their weight, improving their diet, and doing at least 150-minutes of weekly physical activity (brisk walking counts). According to a 2002 study that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, these lifestyle changes work better than medication, even preventing diabetes or delaying its development.

If, the ADA test results indicate you are at high risk of having or developing type 2 diabetes, see your doctor and get screened. People with an elevated risk for type 2 diabetes, include African-Americans, American Indians, Latinos, those with a family history of the disease, people older than age 45, or women who have had gestational diabetes.