If someone told you a simple home test could help save you from a deadly disease, wouldn’t you try that test?

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What if you had a one-in-three chance of getting that disease? Would you try it then?

Of course you would.

Yet at least 86 million American adults are walking around with pre-diabetes, and according to a just-released study, most of them don’t know even know it.

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All they need to do is test their blood for glucose, or blood sugar, levels. This critical measure reveals how well the body processes sugar, and it can quickly show if people are pre-diabetic or already in the early stages of diabetes.

“Knowing your blood sugar level is the first step to lowering your risk for Type 2 diabetes,” said Bryce Williams, CEO of HealthMine, a company that helps major health care providers identify early health risks among employees and clients. “But when it comes to basic biometrics in America, we are often ignorant.”

Related: The Surgeon You Should Know

A recent HealthMine survey of 561 consumers found that 83 percent had no idea what their blood sugar levels were. These consumers included hospital employees as well as people enrolled in “wellness” programs.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said some 90 percent of Americans aren’t aware that knowing their blood sugar level could prevent the onset of adult — or Type 2 — diabetes.

The CDC reports that 29 million people in the U.S. have diabetes today, a number that is growing every year. As high as the number is, even more shocking is that almost a third of the people with diabetes, or more than 8 million, don’t know they have it. Like the 86 million Americans who are pre-diabetic, their blood sugar levels are way too high.

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Why is this bad? In a healthy person, blood sugar rises after a meal, and in response the pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that tells the cells to use the sugar for energy, or convert it to fat for storage. Due to excessive sugar in our diet, either the cells become insensitive to insulin, or the pancreas gets burned out.

Most pharmacies carry blood sugar testing kits for less than $20. A tiny prick of a needle releases a drop of blood that is tested by a strip that activates a meter.

Either way, you end up with too much sugar in your blood, which can damage organs like the heart, eyes and kidneys, as well as blood vessels — so badly that some diabetics must have their hands or feet amputated. They also suffer accelerated brain shrinkage with age. And while about 1 million U.S. diabetics have Type 1 diabetes, which is genetic, the other 28 million have preventable, adult-onset Type 2.

“If I were on a deserted island and wanted just one test to see how healthy I would stay, if would be for blood glucose (sugar) levels, because that is such a critical factor in managing our health,” said Dr. Andre Berger, a California-based age management specialist and author of “The Beverly Hills Anti-Aging Prescription.”

keep-calm-and-check-your-blood-sugar-10“The way to manage that is diet and exercise.”

The good news is that most pharmacies carry small, inexpensive blood sugar testing kits for less than $20. These consist of a pen-like device that “lances” your finger, releasing a drop of blood that is tested by a tiny strip that activates a meter. The best time to test is at least 10 hours after you’ve eaten something, usually in the morning before breakfast. If the readout after this “normal fasting” time is 80 to 99 milligrams per deciliter, you’re fine.

If it’s between 100 and 124, you are considered pre-diabetic. If it’s over 124, you have diabetes. You can also test two hours after a full meal; it should be less than 140.

“Now it’s known that prolonged high glucose levels increase the risk (of diabetes),” said Dr. Michael Brownlee, an associate director of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Diabetes Research Center. And the earlier it’s detected the better.

Related: Pump it in the P.M.

Even a small amount of prevention could have huge benefits, both for individuals and the national health system.

According to a CDC study, just a 5 percent to 7 percent weight loss (about 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person) and 150 minutes of exercise a week can prevent or substantially delay the disease.

As for the country at large, any reduction in diabetes will mean big savings. The CDC says diagnosed diabetes is costing the U.S. $245 billion annually — $176 billion in direct medical costs and $69 billion in lost productivity.