You’re "Prediabetic"? Join the Club

Because Type 2 diabetes is a major and growing public health problem, experts certainly do want to help people avoid it. But how useful or meaningful is a test that identifies nearly every older person as likely to have prediabetes? As an accompanying editorial pointed out, it's “a condition never heard of 10 years ago.” To the lead author, Dr. Saeid Shahraz, a specialist in predictive analysis and comparative effectiveness, the test represents “medicalization” — defining something previously considered normal as a disease that requires attention, monitoring and treatment.