National Diabetes Month Is a Prompt to Review Type 2 Diabetes Risk Factors With a Doctor
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, November 2026. November is National Diabetes Month, and 40.1 million people in the United States have diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes, according to 2023 data in the CDC's National Diabetes Statistics Report. To mark the month and World Diabetes Day on November 14, Dr. Cassie Smith, MD, a dual board-certified endocrinologist and the founder of Modern Endocrine in Oklahoma City, outlined the risk factors federal health researchers name for type 2 diabetes and the questions worth bringing to a doctor when several of them apply.
"Many people have risk factors on paper long before a diagnosis," said Dr. Cassie Smith, MD, founder of Modern Endocrine. "The month is a good prompt to look at that list honestly and ask your doctor what your own numbers say."
The risk factors the NIDDK names
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says a person is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they have overweight or obesity, are age 35 or older, have a family history of diabetes, are African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic or Latino, or Pacific Islander, are not physically active, or have prediabetes. The institute also notes that people may be able to prevent or delay diabetes by losing 5 to 7 percent of their starting weight.
Why blood sugar is only part of the picture
The NIDDK explains that the A1C test reflects average blood glucose over about three months, and that health care professionals may not test for insulin resistance, the condition in which the body does not respond to insulin as it should. Dr. Smith's practice screens with fasting insulin as well as glucose, so that insulin resistance is considered together with blood sugar.
"Blood sugar tells you where things stand today," said Dr. Smith. "Insulin often tells you where they are heading. When someone has several of these risk factors, I want to see both before deciding what comes next."
Where to start
World Diabetes Day is marked each year on November 14, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin, and it became an official United Nations day in 2006, according to the World Diabetes Day campaign. Dr. Smith encourages anyone with several of the listed risk factors to raise them with their own doctor this month.
About Modern Endocrine
Modern Endocrine is an endocrinology practice in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, founded by Dr. Cassie Smith, MD. Dr. Smith holds dual board certifications in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism and in internal medicine, and completed her fellowship at the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center in Oklahoma City. The practice cares for patients with hormone, thyroid, metabolic and gut health concerns, in person in Oklahoma City and by telehealth. Its published patient education is informational and does not replace individualized medical advice.