---
title: "How to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes: 7 Steps to Take Now"
description: Type 2 diabetes can often be prevented. The warning signs, who is at risk, free NHS checks and what to do if you are told you have prediabetes.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-11-01T09:51:34.563Z
updated: 2026-11-01T09:53:12.155Z
canonical: https://richhealthmagazine.com/article/prevent-type-2-diabetes
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-31744946.webp
categories: Health, Everyday Wellness
content_type: Guide
region: United Kingdom
publication: Rich Health Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

World Diabetes Day falls on 14th November, and this year the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization have chosen 'Early action on diabetes' as the theme. The campaign focuses on earlier diagnosis, better access to care and less stigma around a condition that many people carry for years before anyone names it.

In the UK, Diabetes UK estimates that almost 1.3 million people are living with type 2 diabetes that has not yet been diagnosed. More than 4.7 million people already have a diagnosis, and a further 6.9 million are at increased risk because their blood sugar is higher than it should be. Taken together, the charity puts the number of adults living with diabetes or prediabetes at more than 12 million.

Type 2 diabetes often develops slowly, and the NHS notes that not everyone gets symptoms. That delay has a cost. A 2019 Diabetes UK review found that one in three people already had damage to the small blood vessels, the kind that affects the eyes, kidneys and nerves, by the time they were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes can often be prevented, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Research, because [a healthy weight and lifestyle](https://richhealthmagazine.com/article/type-2-diabetes-losing-even-a-small-amount-of-weight-may-lower-heart-disease-risk) greatly reduce the risk. Caught early, it is also far easier to manage, and for some people it can go into remission. These seven steps are where to start.

## Learn the four most common signs

The NHS lists the most common symptoms of type 2 diabetes as feeling very tired, peeing more than usual, feeling thirsty all the time and losing weight without trying. Blurred vision, cuts that take longer to heal, and itching around the genitals or repeated bouts of thrush can also be signs. These symptoms tend to build gradually, so many people put them down to age, stress or a busy winter. If several of them sound familiar, the NHS advises seeing a GP.

## Find out whether you are in a higher-risk group

Many people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms at all, so knowing your risk matters as much as knowing the signs. The NHS says your risk is higher if you are white and over 40, or over 25 and from a South Asian, Chinese, Black African or Black Caribbean background. A parent, brother or sister with type 2 diabetes raises the risk, as does carrying extra weight with [little physical activity](https://richhealthmagazine.com/article/winter-walking-benefits), or having a condition such as high blood pressure. Diabetes UK's free Know Your Risk tool takes a few minutes online and tells you what to do next.

## Book the free NHS Health Check if you are 40 to 74

Adults in England aged 40 to 74 without an existing health condition can ask their GP surgery or a local pharmacy for a [free NHS Health Check](https://richhealthmagazine.com/article/movember-health-checks-jeremy-clarkson-chris-hoy), which looks at the risk factors for diabetes, heart disease and stroke. A study published in the British Journal of General Practice this year followed 158,645 adults in the London borough of Lambeth between 2009 and 2023. People who attended at least one Health Check had a lower risk of dying from any cause over the study period than those who did not, after the researchers adjusted for other factors. The study was observational, so it shows an association rather than proof that the check itself saved lives, but it gives good reason to go when the invitation arrives.

## Treat a prediabetes result as a warning, not a verdict

Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed with a blood test that measures blood sugar, and the results usually take a few days. Some people learn instead that they have prediabetes, which means their blood sugar is higher than normal but not yet in the diabetes range. The NHS says this raises the risk of type 2 diabetes in future and advises talking to the care team about healthier eating, exercise and other changes that can prevent it. In England, people with prediabetes may be offered a place on Healthier You, the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme.

## If you were diagnosed in the last six years, ask about remission

Remission means blood sugar falls below the diabetes range without diabetes medication. The NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission programme, run with Diabetes UK, is open to people diagnosed in the past six years when their GP or diabetes team considers it suitable. It starts with 12 weeks of nutritionally complete soups, shakes and bars providing 800 to 900 calories a day, followed by a gradual return to ordinary healthy food over the rest of the year. A study in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology found that one in three people who completed the programme had put their type 2 diabetes into remission. More than 13,000 people enrolled in 2024 to 2025, almost double the year before. A diet this low in calories needs medical supervision, particularly for anyone taking medication that lowers blood sugar, so the first step is a conversation with your GP.

## Younger adults have even more to gain

Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common in younger people, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and NHS England has said it wants more referrals of younger and recently diagnosed people, where the impact of remission is greatest. A trial run in the UK and Canada, published in The Lancet Regional Health, Americas, tested a supervised plan for adults aged 18 to 45 with obesity and early type 2 diabetes. Participants followed an 800 to 900 calorie diet with regular aerobic and strength training, and after 24 weeks 27 of the 50 were in remission, compared with 4% of those on standard care. The programme was intensive and closely supported, so nobody should try to copy it at home, but it gives younger people a strong reason to ask about remission early.

## Ask whether glucose monitoring could help you

Continuous glucose monitors are small sensors worn on the upper arm that track blood sugar through the day and night, usually sending readings to a phone. Until recently they were recommended only for people using insulin. In October, Reuters reported on a six-month trial of 283 adults with type 2 diabetes who were not on insulin. Average HbA1c, a measure of blood sugar over the previous two to three months, fell from 8.8% to 7.2% in those using a monitor, against a fall from 8.7% to 8.0% with routine care, and the benefit held across age, sex, ethnicity, weight and income. The trial was sponsored by the device maker Dexcom. In the UK, NHS funding for monitors in type 2 diabetes is still largely limited to people who use insulin, so most people outside that group would have to pay privately. It is still worth asking your diabetes team whether a short period of monitoring would help you see how your meals, sleep and activity affect your blood sugar.

A blood test, a few minutes on an online risk tool or a free check at a pharmacy can bring a diagnosis forward by years, and the remission evidence shows that the first years after diagnosis are when change is most achievable. If any of the risk factors above apply to you, 14th November is a good date to book the appointment.