What are the main risk factors for prediabetes?

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Diabetes Association, risk factors for prediabetes include older age, excess weight, a family history of type 2 diabetes, physical inactivity, a history of gestational diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, and belonging to certain ethnic backgrounds that carry higher risk.

Can I have prediabetes without any risk factors?

Yes. Risk factors raise the likelihood of prediabetes but do not fully determine it, and some people with few obvious risk factors are still affected. Because prediabetes is usually silent, a blood test is the reliable way to know, and a clinician can advise on whether to screen.

Are there tools to estimate my prediabetes risk?

Yes. Public health organisations such as the CDC and ADA offer short risk-screening questionnaires that weigh factors like age, weight, activity, and family history to indicate whether testing may be worthwhile. These tools are a prompt for a conversation with a clinician, not a diagnosis.

Prediabetes · risk factors

Prediabetes Risk Factors

7 min read · Updated July 2026

Because prediabetes is usually silent, risk factors — not symptoms — are what tell you whether it is worth getting checked. Public health bodies such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) describe a well-established set of factors that raise the likelihood of prediabetes. Having one or more does not mean you have it, but it is a good reason to talk with a clinician about testing.

What raises the risk

The factors below are drawn from CDC and ADA guidance. They tend to overlap and add up rather than act alone, which is why clinicians consider the whole picture. For background on the condition itself, see the prediabetes guide and what is prediabetes.

Age

Risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes rises with age, and the CDC and ADA highlight older age as a factor commonly used in screening decisions. This does not mean younger adults are exempt — rates in younger people have been a growing concern — but age remains one of the clearest signals for when to consider testing.

Excess weight and body composition

Carrying excess weight, particularly around the abdomen, is one of the most consistently cited risk factors. Both the CDC and ADA describe overweight and obesity as important contributors, in part through their link to insulin resistance, which the NIDDK explains sits at the heart of many cases of prediabetes.

Family history

A parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes raises your own risk. Family history reflects a mix of inherited and shared-environment factors, and it is a standard question on risk-screening tools.

Physical inactivity

Being physically inactive is associated with higher risk, and increasing activity is one of the changes most often recommended for lowering it. Our article on prediabetes exercise covers this in practical terms.

History of gestational diabetes

People who had gestational diabetes during pregnancy — or who gave birth to a baby weighing more than a certain threshold — carry higher long-term risk, according to CDC and ADA guidance, and are generally advised to be screened.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS is associated with insulin resistance and is listed among the conditions that raise the risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Anyone with PCOS may wish to discuss glucose screening with their clinician.

Ethnic background

The CDC and ADA note that people of certain racial and ethnic backgrounds are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. This is one of the factors weighed in standard risk questionnaires and screening recommendations.

Risk factors described by the CDC and ADA. They tend to add up; having one does not mean you have prediabetes, and having none does not rule it out.

Risk-screening tools exist

Because these factors are well defined, organisations such as the CDC and ADA offer short risk-screening questionnaires. They weigh answers about age, weight, activity, family history, and related items to indicate whether a blood test may be worthwhile. These tools estimate risk — they do not diagnose anything. If a questionnaire suggests elevated risk, the next step is testing, which our guide to how prediabetes is diagnosed explains, including the A1c range used.

Why risk factors matter more than symptoms

Prediabetes rarely produces clear symptoms, so waiting to feel unwell is not a sound strategy. Risk factors give a practical basis for deciding when to screen. And the picture is not fixed: several risk factors are modifiable, and the earlier end of the spectrum often responds to changes in diet and activity. This connects to the broader concept of dysglycemia and the question of whether prediabetes can be reversed.

Endobits is clinical decision-support software used under clinician oversight. It helps put glucose data in context against the standard ranges; it does not estimate risk in place of a clinician, diagnose, or treat.

Think you might be at risk?

See how glucose data can be put in context against the standard ranges — a starting point for a conversation with your clinician.

Check your glucose

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Diabetes Risk Factors. American Diabetes Association — Diabetes Risk Test. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) — Prediabetes & Insulin Resistance.

This article is educational and not medical advice. Risk factors and thresholds are attributed to the CDC and American Diabetes Association and may be updated over time. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health. Endobits is clinical decision-support software used under clinician oversight, not a diagnostic device.