"Diabetes is a leading cause of adult blindness, lower-limb amputation, kidney disease and nerve damage. Two-thirds of people with diabetes die from a heart attack or stroke," said Dr. Frank Vinicor, director of CDC's diabetes program. Several genes are known to contribute to diabetes, but it has become more common as the population has become fatter. The risk of diabetes increases with age. About 21 percent of Americans aged 60 years or older have diabetes, the CDC said.

"Recent studies have shown that people with pre-diabetes can successfully prevent or delay the onset of diabetes by losing 5 percent to 7 percent of their body weight," Vinicor said in a statement.