USPSTF: Screen Everyone 45 and Older for Abnormal Glucose

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USPSTF: Screen Everyone 45 and Older for Abnormal Glucose


Adults aged 45 and older and those who are younger with risk factors should be screened for abnormal blood glucose and type 2 diabetes, according to new draft guidelines from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).


The draft recommendation statement and draft evidence review is now open for public comment through November 3 here. The USPSTF, an independent panel of experts under the auspices of the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, makes evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services such as screenings, counseling services, and preventive medications.

The new statement is an update to the 2008 USPSTF diabetes screening guideline, which targeted individuals with high blood pressure. 

Now, the new focus is on identifying people with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), task force member Michael P. Pignone, MD, professor, department of medicine, and chief, division of general internal medicine, at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

If you’re one of the 29 million North American adults with diabetes, 79 million with prediabetes, 32 million with elevated total cholesterol, 78 million with high blood pressure or 157 million who are overweight or obese, chances are you’re struggling to get into shape and you’d like to have a better sense of well-being, too. 

What derails you? Chances are it’s a combo of frustration (your diet and exercise routines aren’t effective), stress (you use food as a soother) and depression (it’s hard to stay motivated). Plus, you may be missing a key ingredient for success: emotional support. 

A recent analysis of many studies of overweight and obese folks with cardiovascular risk factors found that people were most able to lose weight and reduced their risk for heart attack and stroke when, backed up by friends and family, they received intensive behavioral counseling from dietitians, nutritionists, exercise professionals, health educators and/or psychologists. Some studies saw a 42 percent to 58 percent decrease in the incidence of diabetes among folks getting such support. 

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