38% of teenagers in the United States have pre-diabetes.

We revised this check on Nov 8, 2026. See what changed and why ↓

The finding

What the evidence shows

CDC estimates that 32.7% of adolescents ages 12-17 had prediabetes in 2023, not a 38% point estimate. Prediabetes is not diagnosed diabetes; Means explicitly clarifies that distinction moments later. Interpretation also depends on testing definitions and methods, so apparent changes should not automatically be treated as directly comparable time trends.

Read the supporting source · usdss.cdc.gov ↗

Quick answer & review status

Quick answer

Is it true that 38% of teenagers in the United States have pre-diabetes?

Partly. The claim stretches what the evidence shows. 7% of adolescents ages 12-17 had prediabetes in 2023, not a 38% point estimate. Prediabetes is not diagnosed diabetes; Means explicitly clarifies that distinction moments later. It was said on Joe Rogan Experience #2578 - Calley Means, aired Nov 6, 2026, at 1:27:04. We haven't independently confirmed who said it. The supporting source is usdss.cdc.gov, linked below.

The context belongs here.

No separately verified on-air correction is recorded for this check. That is not a claim that nobody corrected it.

Attribution: Not independently confirmed in this record
Editorial context review: Not recorded; generated finding
Coverage: One selected claim from the episode

Revisions to this check

Nov 8, 2026

Previously: 38% of teenagers in the United States have pre-diabetes. [Distorted]: The CDC, not the USDA, estimated that 32.7% of US 12 to 17 year olds, about 8.4 million, had prediabetes, using national health survey data from 2017 to 2023. That is roughly one in three, not 38%. Reporting on the estimate also says the CDC changed its method, which makes comparisons with older figures hard, and that many teens with prediabetes never go on to develop diabetes. This verdict would be wrong if a USDA or CDC release puts US teen prediabetes at about 38%.

Now: 38% of teenagers in the United States have pre-diabetes. [Distorted]: CDC estimates that 32.7% of adolescents ages 12-17 had prediabetes in 2023, not a 38% point estimate. Prediabetes is not diagnosed diabetes; Means explicitly clarifies that distinction moments later. Interpretation also depends on testing definitions and methods, so apparent changes should not automatically be treated as directly comparable time trends.

Deeper review against transcript context and primary evidence.

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