Overweight Adults Should Be Screened for Diabetes at 35, Experts Say

Nearly one in seven Americans now has diabetes, a record rate. The condition also raises the risk of severe illness after coronavirus infection.

Overweight adults should be screened for Type 2 diabetes and abnormally high blood sugar levels starting at age 35, five years earlier than currently advised, an expert task force recommended on Tuesday. The new recommendation, which does not apply to pregnant women, comes amid cresting rates of obesity and diabetes in the United States. It means that more than 40 percent of the adult population should now be screened, according to one estimate. The guideline was issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which makes recommendations for preventive services and screenings that insurance companies must completely cover, without out of pocket costs to the insured, under the Affordable Care Act.