Every day, millions of people walk around unaware that they may be at risk of developing one of the world’s most prevalent yet silent conditions — Type 2 Diabetes. While genetics may play a role, the real predictors lie in your lifestyle, age, weight, daily activity, and eating habits.
This assessment journey you’ve just completed is designed to help you reflect on these everyday choices and see where you stand. While this is not a medical diagnosis, it is a health alert — a tool to help you understand your current habits and how they may influence your long-term health.
Let’s dive into what your answers mean and how they tie together to reveal your personal diabetes risk profile.
Age: More Than Just a Number
As we grow older, our body’s ability to process glucose naturally decreases. Insulin — the hormone responsible for keeping blood sugar in check — may become less efficient, and your risk of insulin resistance increases.
However, it’s important to understand that diabetes is no longer a disease of the elderly. In fact, a growing number of cases are now being reported among people in their 20s and 30s. Sedentary work life, stress, irregular eating, and processed food consumption are pushing the risk younger.
If you are:
- 18–27 years old, and already facing lifestyle challenges, your body might be silently struggling — but this is also the best time to reverse early signs through proactive habits.
- 28–47 years old, your metabolic rate begins to slow, and if poor eating and inactivity continue, your risk starts to rise significantly.
- 48+, you may already be showing pre-diabetic signs, and it’s critical to pay attention to even minor symptoms like fatigue, thirst, or slow healing.
What can you do?
No matter your age, early action beats late reaction. Regular health screenings, an active routine, and controlled sugar intake can delay or even prevent diabetes onset.
Weight: The Scale Doesn’t Lie
Weight — particularly around the abdominal area — is one of the most significant factors contributing to diabetes risk. Excess fat interferes with insulin function and can cause insulin resistance — a key driver behind Type 2 Diabetes.
Even if you’re not overweight by conventional BMI standards, you may still be at risk if your weight is not proportionate to your height and body type. In countries like Canada and the US, the obesity rate is rising — and with it, the incidence of chronic conditions like diabetes.
If you selected a weight category over your recommended range, it doesn’t mean you’re unhealthy — but it may indicate that your pancreas is under stress.
What can you do?
- Focus on reducing visceral fat (fat around your organs) through consistent movement and clean eating.
- Include high-fiber foods, lean proteins, and healthy fats in your meals.
- Consider checking your waist-to-hip ratio and not just your BMI.
Physical Activity: Move or Lose
Modern lifestyles often revolve around sitting — at work, in cars, or on the couch. But your body was made to move. And when it doesn’t, sugar in your bloodstream builds up, unutilized.
Even light activity, like walking, gardening, or doing chores, helps muscles absorb glucose and reduces your dependence on insulin.
Your answer here reflects how often your body gets a chance to burn excess sugar. If you’ve indicated that your routine lacks movement, you may already be experiencing fatigue, sluggishness, or mood swings — subtle signs of sugar imbalance.
What can you do?
- Start with small commitments: 15 minutes of walking after meals, taking stairs, or yoga at home.
- Increase gradually to 150 minutes of moderate activity per week (as recommended by health authorities).
- Mix cardio with strength training to build muscle — which helps in long-term sugar control.
Eating Habits: Food as Fuel or Poison
Every bite you take either supports your body’s metabolism or challenges it.
Processed foods, sugary drinks, and deep-fried meals contribute to blood sugar spikes and poor insulin response. On the other hand, whole grains, vegetables, proteins, and water help your body stabilize and cleanse.
Your choices here say a lot. If you’re often eating out, skipping meals, or indulging in sweets, your blood sugar could be rising and falling more than you realize — leading to energy crashes and, eventually, metabolic stress.
What can you do?
- Follow the 80/20 rule: 80% clean, whole food; 20% indulgence.
- Avoid skipping meals — it forces your body into stress mode and destabilizes blood sugar.
- Learn to read nutrition labels, especially for “hidden sugar” in sauces, snacks, and cereals.
Combined Insight: Putting It All Together
Each of your answers gives us insight into a different part of your lifestyle. Alone, they may not reveal much. But together, they help you visualize your health trajectory.
If your responses included:
- Higher weight categories
- Low daily activity
- Irregular eating habits
- Mid to older age group
Then you may be in a moderate to high-risk zone for developing Type 2 diabetes in the coming years.
The good news? Diabetes is one of the few chronic illnesses that can be prevented, delayed, or even reversed in its early stages with the right lifestyle changes.
You’re not helpless — you’re in control.
How to Take Action Starting Today
Here are 7 science-backed habits you can implement starting now:
- Walk for 10 minutes after each meal – this improves insulin sensitivity.
- Drink water first thing in the morning – it wakes up your metabolism.
- Add a handful of vegetables to every meal – even burgers and sandwiches.
- Get 7–8 hours of sleep – lack of sleep is linked to increased sugar cravings.
- Reduce screen time before bed – blue light affects melatonin and metabolism.
- Track your food for just 3 days – awareness is often the first step to change.
- Talk to a healthcare professional – don’t rely on online tips alone.
When Should You Get Tested?
If you’ve found yourself ticking most of the risk boxes, consider speaking to your doctor about getting an HbA1c test (average blood sugar over 3 months) or a fasting blood glucose test.
Early testing can detect pre-diabetes, giving you a chance to make adjustments before it turns serious.
Diabetes doesn’t come with alarms. It creeps in quietly — through late-night snacks, long hours on the couch, ignored water bottles, and skipped walks.
But you’ve taken the first step just by completing this test.
Now, let’s take the second step together — towards awareness, better habits, and a healthier tomorrow.
Your body will thank you.