Fewer Minority Men Have Undiagnosed Diabetes

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Type 2 adult-onset diabetes is strongly tied to overweight, so anyone who's obese should be tested for diabetes and other conditions, said Smith. He noted that blood tests can now diagnose diabetes without requiring patients to drink a sugary cola-like concoction and then wait hours to see how it affects their blood sugar levels.

"There should be the same focus on obesity as there is on race and ethnicity," he said.

Smith didn't look at rates of undiagnosed diabetes among women, but he said they should be similar. According to him, it's tougher to study diabetes rates in women, because the numbers are thrown off as they temporarily develop "gestational diabetes" during pregnancy.

The study was published in the August edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The findings are encouraging, added Dr. Larry Deeb, the American Diabetes Association's president of medicine and science.

"We have to wonder if we've gotten the message out there better than we've thought," he said. "I'm serious -- it really makes you feel good."

More information

Learn more about diabetes at the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.