Eat right. Exercise. Keep your blood pressure down. It seems like we’re constantly bombarded by these messages during every healthcare visit, doesn’t it?

But there are reasons why your healthcare providers continually give you this advice. Here’s one good reason: diabetes.

The number of people with diabetes, which occurs when the body has trouble producing enough insulin to convert sugar into energy, is growing. Today, nearly 24 million Americans have the disease (including nearly 6 million who have it and don’t know it). And it’s estimated that another 54 million Americans have blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be considered diabetic.

This pre-diabetic stage is a critical health crossroads. Research indicates that if you manage your blood glucose before you are diagnosed with diabetes, you can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes from developing. While many Americans lead long and comfortable lives with diabetes by engaging in preventive care, those who do not successfully manage the disease find that it can lead to blindness, kidney damage and lower-limb amputations. Women with diabetes have an increased risk of vaginal infections and complications during pregnancy, and the proportion of pregnancies resulting in death of the newborn within 28 days is at least double for women with diabetes.

So, knowing this, are you a good candidate to get screened for diabetes? Yes—if you are obese (obesity being defined as a “body mass index,” or BMI, of 30 or higher); or if your blood pressure is consistently registering 135/80 or higher.

If your blood sugar is consistently higher than normal but not high enough to classify you as diabetic, some damage may have already occurred. But it’s not too late to turn your health around. A renewed commitment to weight control, including modifying your eating habits and making sure you exercise, may either reduce your chances of getting diabetes or reduce the complications that stem from it.

Remember, if you are severely overweight or have high blood pressure, that doesn’t automatically mean you have diabetes, but it means you should get your blood sugar levels tested. Diabetes is a chronic disease with no known cure—so do what you can to avoid it!