This Test May Predict Your Risk of Diabetes, New Study Says

If you're living with diabetes, your body works overtime to process the sugar, or glucose, in your blood. To estimate if you're at risk of this disease, medical professionals consider factors such as diet and family history. In the future, however, you may be able to predict your likelihood of developing diabetes with a straightforward test.

A new study out of Germany finds that the lipids inside your blood plasma could help doctors predict your risk of type 2 diabetes before the onset of symptoms. According to Medical News Today, all you need is a "simple blood test":

The researchers took one baseline blood sample from each participant. They then centrifuged these blood samples to separate out the plasma for analysis. Researchers measured concentrations of 184 different lipids in the blood plasma using mass spectrometry. They used these lipidomic profiles to calculate risk scores and assign participants into one of six risk groups.

For more than two decades, the researchers tracked the study participants, 13.8% of which developed type 2 diabetes. For those placed in higher-risk groups based on their lipidomic profiles, that figure was higher—37%.

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Dr. Suneet Singh, medical director of CareHive, told Medical News Today that "the authors of this study have added to the growing evidence that lipidomics profiling could very well usher in the next generation of detection of cardiovascular diseases as well as diabetes."

Testing aside, there are many lifestyle changes you can make to help manage your blood sugar levels on a daily basis, including eating healthier foods, exercising, and even taking certain supplements. As always, talk to your doctor first.