At risk for type 2 diabetes? Take preventive action.

A condition that increases the chances of getting a disease is called a “risk factor.” Many major risk factors for diabetes are well known, such as being overweight, having a poor diet, or not exercising regularly. Other risk factors are genetic. You don't have to have other family members with diabetes to have a genetic risk; but you certainly have a higher chance for diabetes if you have a family history of it. These risk factors add up: the more risks you have, the greater your chance of getting diabetes will be.

If you know what your risks are you can take action to lower them.

One powerful tool available to you, the deCODE T2™ test, can tell if you have genetic markers that  increase the risk for type 2 diabetes. If you do have these markers, you may be able to help reduce your risk for getting diabetes through diet, exercise, and medication.

If you're on non-insulin medication to control blood sugar...

Not all people respond to diabetes medication in the same way. A drug that works for some people may not work for you. In the past, health care providers have used trial-and-error to find the best medication for you. The deCODE T2™ test may be able to help your doctor find the best medication for you without your having to try different drugs until you find one that works.

Studies have shown that sulfonylurea diabetes drugs like Amaryl, DiaBeta, Diabinese, Dymelor, Glucotrol, Glynase PresTab, Micronase, Orinase, and Tolinase are not as effective in people who have a diabetes marker called TCF7L2. Metformin drugs like Glucophage, Glucophage XR, and Riomet, however, are not affected by this marker.

The deCODE T2™ test looks for four different genetic markers that are linked with type 2 diabetes.

Researchers continue to search for other genes involved in type 2 diabetes.