The warning signs of type 2 diabetes can be predicted 20 years before its onset, says research

The researchers concluded high fasting blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, along with higher BMI, become a precursor to type 2 diabetes at least 10 years before diagnosis the actual diagnosis.

There is a reason why we say diabetes is a silent killer; the condition keeps on progressing without any particular sign or symptom. But experts say that the warning signs of type 2 diabetes can be detectable 20 years before the disease is diagnosed. A new study found that elevated fasting blood sugar levels and insulin resistance were seen in people years before they developed pre-diabetes, often a precursor to type-2. The findings suggest interventions to stop the disease in its tracks should begin far earlier in life, authors say.

Another study found that type-1 diabetes may be misdiagnosed after the age of 30. The Japanese study, carried out between 2005 and 2016, looked at the body mass indexes (BMIs), fasting blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity of 27,000 non-diabetics, who were aged between 30 and 50 and were mostly men. It was seen that insulin resistance occurs when cells of the body do not respond properly to the hormone insulin and can lead to a variety of health problems.

However, a higher BMI is a well-known risk factor for type-2 diabetes. The study followed participants until they were diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, pre-diabetes - where blood sugar levels are abnormally high - or the end of 2016, whichever came first. Over the study period, 1,067 new type-2 diabetes cases were diagnosed. The researchers concluded that high fasting blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, along with higher BMI, become a precursor to type 2 diabetes at least 10 years before diagnosis the actual diagnosis.

A similar pattern was observed in those who went on to develop pre-diabetes - the same kind of warning signs, albeit to a lesser degree, had been detectable more than a decade before they were diagnosed. Because most people who develop type-2 diabetes first go through a pre-diabetes stage, researchers say it means the warning signs of the condition may be detectable more than 20 years before an actual diagnosis.

Dr Hiroyuki Sagesaka, from Aizawa Hospital in Matsumoto, Japan, who led the research, reportedly said to a section of media that because trials of prevention in people with pre-diabetes seem to be less successful over long-term follow-up, we may need to intervene much earlier than the pre-diabetes stage to prevent progression to full-blown diabetes. A much earlier intervention trail, either drug or lifestyle-related, is warranted.

Diabetes UK said about a million people in the UK were thought to have type-2 diabetes and not yet know it. But the charity points out that pre-diabetes do not have to develop into type-2 - people can usually make lifestyle changes to prevent this.