About 1 in 8 Texas Adults Has Diabetes. Here Is What Federal Research Says About Delaying or Preventing Type 2

Diabetes is common in Texas, and it is getting more common.

About 1 in 8 Texas adults is living with diabetes, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services' diabetes fact sheet. The state's 2023 survey data put the share of adults who have been told by a health professional that they have diabetes at 12.7%.

A newer American Diabetes Association fact sheet for Texas, dated June 2026, estimates that about 3,208,000 Texas adults, or 12.9%, have diagnosed diabetes, and that about 245,000 more are diagnosed each year.

What it costs Texas

Diabetes is the eighth leading cause of death for Texans, DSHS says. The state's overall age-adjusted diabetes death rate was 24.2 per 100,000 people, and Texans 65 and older face a higher risk of diabetes-related hospital stays and deaths.

The money adds up, too. Texas Medicaid paid $467 million for diabetes-related costs in 2023, according to DSHS. The ADA estimates that diagnosed diabetes costs Texas about $34.3 billion a year, including $25.4 billion in direct medical costs and $9.0 billion in lost productivity in 2022.

Diabetes rarely travels alone. Among Texas adults with diabetes, 67% also have high blood pressure, 59% have high cholesterol, 50% have obesity, 39% are physically inactive and 20% use tobacco, the DSHS fact sheet says. The highest rates show up in two of the state's public health regions, where DSHS estimates about 1 in 5 adults has diabetes.

Three types, one focus

Diabetes affects how the body turns food into energy. There are three main types: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes, which develops during pregnancy, DSHS says.

Type 2 is the most common type, and it is the one most shaped by daily habits. "The good news is that type 2 diabetes can be delayed or even prevented," the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says in its prevention guide. The longer someone has diabetes, the more likely health problems become, so even a delay of a few years helps.

What the research says works

NIDDK points to the Diabetes Prevention Program, a large federal study, and lists a few changes that lower the risk:

Lose a little weight and keep it off. Losing 5% to 7% of your starting weight may prevent or delay diabetes. For a 200-pound person, that is about 10 to 14 pounds.

Move more. Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week. If you have not been active, ask your doctor which activities are best, and start slowly.

Eat smaller portions. Cutting calories, choosing foods with less fat and drinking water instead of sweetened drinks all help.

Ask about medicine. NIDDK says to ask your doctor whether the diabetes drug metformin could help prevent or delay type 2.

DSHS gives the same short list for lowering type 2 risk: manage obesity, increase physical activity and eat a healthy diet.

Prediabetes: the warning you may not feel

About 1 in 3 Americans has prediabetes, meaning blood sugar is higher than normal but not yet high enough to be called diabetes, NIDDK says, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "You won't know if you have prediabetes unless you are tested."

Nationally, about 11 million Americans have diabetes and do not know it, according to the ADA. If you are overweight, have a parent, brother or sister with type 2 diabetes, or had diabetes during pregnancy, ask your doctor about a blood sugar test. NIDDK says women who had gestational diabetes should be tested 6 to 12 weeks after the baby is born and, if the result is normal, every three years after that.

People with prediabetes can look for a lifestyle change program through the National Diabetes Prevention Program, NIDDK says.

A fair word

The holiday season is about to fill Texas tables, and that is a blessing worth enjoying. But Scripture calls the body a temple, and caring for it is part of faithful living. A walk after dinner, a smaller second helping and a simple blood test are small acts of stewardship. They may buy years of health for you and for the people who count on you.

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