
You’re at risk for type 2 diabetes if you: Have prediabetes. Are overweight. Are 45 years or older. Have a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes.
Full Answer
What are the risk factors for type 2 diabetes?
Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes Your chances of developing type 2 diabetes depend on a combination of risk factors such as your genes and lifestyle. Although you can’t change risk factors such as family history, age, or ethnicity, you can change lifestyle risk factors around eating, physical activity, and weight.
Who's at risk for diabetes?
Who's at Risk? 1 Prediabetes. You can prevent or reverse prediabetes with simple,... 2 Type 2 Diabetes. You can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes with simple,... 3 Type 1 Diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an immune reaction... 4 Gestational Diabetes. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after your baby is born...
What is type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a common condition with numerous risk factors. The disease is marked by an increase in blood sugar (glucose) levels and heightened resistance to the hormone insulin, which shuttles glucose into the cells.
Why do some people get diabetes more often than others?
Additionally, those of African-American, Hispanic, Pacific-Island, or Native-American descent also have a higher-than-normal rate of type 2 diabetes, thanks to their genotypes. Studies show more than 120 gene variants have been identified as linked to causing type 2 diabetes. 3

What are the risk factors for diabetes?
Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes 1 are overweight or obese 2 are age 45 or older 3 have a family history of diabetes 4 are African American, Alaska Native, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander 5 have high blood pressure 6 have a low level of HDL (“good”) cholesterol, or a high level of triglycerides 7 have a history of gestational diabetes or gave birth to a baby weighing 9 pounds or more 8 are not physically active 9 have a history of heart disease or stroke 10 have depression#N#NIH external link 11 have polycystic ovary syndrome#N#NIH external link#N#, also called PCOS 12 have acanthosis nigricans —dark, thick, and velvety skin around your neck or armpits
How to prevent type 2 diabetes?
You can take steps to help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by losing weight if you are overweight, eating fewer calories, and being more physically active. Talk with your health care professional about any of the health conditions listed above that may require medical treatment.
What is the name of the condition where you have dark, thick, and velvety skin around your neck?
have polycystic ovary syndrome. NIH external link. , also called PCOS. have acanthosis nigricans —dark, thick, and velvety skin around your neck or armpits. You can also take the Diabetes Risk Test to learn about your risk for type 2 diabetes.
Can lifestyle changes affect diabetes?
These lifestyle changes can affect your chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Read about risk factors for type 2 diabetes below and see which ones apply to you. Taking action on the factors you can change can help you delay or prevent type 2 diabetes. You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you. are overweight or obese.
What is the risk of type 1 diabetes?
Known risk factors include: Family history: Having a parent, brother, or sister with type 1 diabetes.
Can a white person get type 1 diabetes?
In the United States, whites are more likely to develop type 1 diabetes than African Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans. Currently, no one knows how to prevent type 1 diabetes.
Is fatty liver disease a risk factor for type 2 diabetes?
Are African American, Hispanic/Latino American, American Indian, or Alaska Native (some Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans are also at higher risk) If you have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease you may also be at risk for type 2 diabetes.
Can a baby have diabetes?
Your baby is more likely to have obesity as a child or teen, and is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life too. Before you get pregnant, you may be able to prevent gestational diabetes by losing weight if you’re overweight, eating healthier, and getting regular physical activity.
What is the goal of awareness of risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes?
Awareness of risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes will promote screening, early detection, and treatment in high-risk populations with the goal of decreasing both microvascular and macrovascular complications.
What are the factors that contribute to the development of diabetes mellitus?
Genetic, environmental, and metabolic risk factors are interrelated and contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. A strong family history of diabetes mellitus, age, obesity, and physical inactivity identify those individuals at highest risk.
What are the current interventions for the prevention and retardation of type 2 diabetes mellitus?
Current interventions for the prevention and retardation of type 2 diabetes mellitus are those targeted towards modifying environmental risk factors such as reducing obesity and promoting physical activity. Awareness of risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes will promote screening, early detection, and treatment in high-risk populations ...
Why are minority populations at higher risk for diabetes?
Minority populations are also at higher risk, not only because of family history and genetics, but also because of adaptation to American environmental influences of poor dietary and exercise habits. Women with a history of gestational diabetes as well as their children are at greater risk for progressing to type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Does insulin resistance affect glucose tolerance?
Insulin resistance increases a person's risk for developing impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes. Individuals who have insulin resistance share many of the same risk factors as those with type 2 diabetes.
Genetics
Genetics plays a role in risk factors for type 2 diabetes. You’re more at risk for it if you have a family history of type 2 diabetes, especially if a parent or sibling has it. Gene mutations have also been linked with type 2 diabetes, but mutations only account for a small portion of those diagnosed with the condition.
Race and ethnicity
According to the CDC, diabetes has a higher prevalence in Black, Hispanic/Latinx American, American Indian, and Alaska Native communities, as well as some Pacific Islander and Asian American communities.
Lifestyle habits
Lifestyle habits can also contribute to your type 2 diabetes risk, but they are modifiable. By addressing and changing these situations, you can decrease your risk. Lifestyle risk factors can include:
Environmental
As mentioned above, home environmental factors can contribute to behaviors that increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Medical conditions
Certain medical conditions can increase your risk for developing type 2 diabetes. These medical conditions can include:
What is the primary cause of mortality and morbidity in both prediabetes and T2DM?
Cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is a primary cause of mortality and morbidity in both prediabetes and T2DM, the potential mechanism for which is oxidative stress that has important effects on atherogenesis and may contribute to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation 76.
Which country has the highest diabetes prevalence?
Even today, seven out of top ten countries with the largest number of diabetes patients are low- or middle-income countries, including India, China, Russia, Brazil, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Bangladesh 7, among which the prevalence rates are 12.1% and 9.7% in India and China, respectively 8, 9.
What causes T2DM?
T2DM mostly results from the interaction among genetic, environmental and other risk factors. Furthermore, loss of first-phase of insulin release, abnormal pulsatility of basal insulin secretion, and increased glucagon secretion also accelerate the development of T2DM 4, 5.
What are the complications of T2DM?
In addition, people with T2DM are often accompanied by complications, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetic neuropathy, nephropathy, and retinopathy. Diabetes and its associated complications lower the quality of people's lives and generate enormous economic and social burdens 6. Epidemiology.
What is the prevalence of diabetes in China?
In China, the latest statistical data show that diabetes and pre-diabetes are prevalent among people older than 20-year-old, with the percentages being 9.7% and 15.5% for T1DM and T2DM, respectively 3. T2DM mostly results from the interaction among genetic, environmental and other risk factors.
What is the active form of vitamin K2?
Menaquinone-4 (vitamin K2) is considered as the active form of vitamin K in the bone tissue and functions in maintaining bone quality 68and also as a transcriptional regulator of bone-specific genes that acts through steroid and xenobiotic receptors (SXRs) to promote expression of osteoblastic markers 69.
Is diet a modifiable risk factor for T2DM?
In addition, diet is considered as a modifiable risk factor for T2DM. Studies have shown that a low-fiber diet with a high glycemic index is positively associated with a higher risk of T2DM 49, and specific dietary fatty acids may affect insulin resistance and the risk of diabetes in varying degrees 50.
Overweight and obesity
When a person is living with obesity and has overweight, excess levels of adipose tissue, or body fat, release inflammatory proteins, hormones, and other molecules that can trigger insulin resistance.
Smoking
Smoking can increase a person’s risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. People who smoke are 30–40% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who do not.
A lack of physical activity
Physical activity has many benefits. In addition to improving cardiovascular and mental health, it can reduce inflammation and insulin resistance.
Mental health problems
People with diabetes may also live with one or more mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression. When people do not receive treatment for these conditions, this can often make diabetes worse.
Family history of diabetes
When a person’s parents or siblings have type 2 diabetes, the person is more likely to have the condition themselves. This is also true of cases of undiagnosed type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.
Ethnicity
According to a 2017 study from the American Diabetes Association (ADA), Black, Latinx, Native American, and Asian populations are more at risk of type 2 diabetes than white populations. One reason for this may be inequities in healthcare.
