Kim Kardashian's baby brother vanished from the public eye over a year ago, although pictures surfaced of him looking noticeably chubbier. His weight made headlines, though his famous siblings mostly remained mum on the subject. However, in October, Khloe Kardashian got real about her baby bro's reclusiveness and weight gain. "He's charming, charismatic, everything," she told People. "That's what's so infuriating. I'm like, 'Where is your will to live life? Let's be around people!'"

Before you ask, no, Rob Kardashian and his sisters are not Latino. However, his scary story can be a real wake up call for Latinos everywhere. Our community suffers from a high prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes; in fact, a Cedars-Sinai study confirmed that Latinos are more prone to developing Type 2 diabetes than their non-Hispanic peers. Furthermore, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 38 percent of Hispanics have prediabetes, a condition classified by high blood sugar levels. Without intervention, prediabetes will likely become Type 2 diabetes in 10 years or less.

A scary study released by the CDC earlier this year also dropped one shocking stat: Hispanics are 50% more likely to die from diabetes and chronic liver disease than their non-Hispanic peers. Dr. Ken Dominguez, MPH, an epidemiologist with the CDC and lead author of the report, attributes this to higher rates of diabetes and obesity in our community.

Those are some horrifying numbers, but every Latino needs to hear them. According to various sources, Rob Kardashian had no idea he had diabetes, and he's not alone. One in four people with diabetes doesn't know they suffer from the disease, and 4.3 million people between the ages of 20-44 suffer from the disease, proving it can strike young. Because diabetes can be managed through physical activity, diet, insulin and medication, it's vital that people are aware they suffer from the disease before they find themselves with other serious health complications, such as vision loss, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and more.

Doctors recommend you should consider getting tested for diabetes if you exhibit any of the following risk factors:

·         Being overweight or obese

·         Having a parent or sibling with diabetes

·         Being African America, American Indian, Asian American, Pacific Islander or Latino

·         Having a prior history of gestational diabetes or birth of at least baby weighing more than nine pounds

·         Having high blood pressure measuring 140/90 or higher

·         Having abnormal cholesterol with HDL cholesterol 35 or lower

·         Being physically inactive

Luckily, Type 2 diabetes can be prevented with changes to lifestyle and diet. The Diabetes Prevention Program found that people can delay and possibly prevent the disease by losing a small amount of body weight (five to seven percent of total body weight) through 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week combined with a healthy diet.

If you can learn one thing from Rob Kardashian's scary health situation, it's this: don't take your health for granted and get tested if you suspect you may be prediabetic or diabetic. It's a new year — the perfect time to take control of our health.