Diabetes Risk Factors

There are a number of major risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Although some diabetic risks come from our genetics, many are preventable.

Unfortunately, many people do not know what these are or clearly understand the signs of them. For this reason, Diabetes.co.uk has compiled a list of top type 2 diabetes risk factors. Please also see: the symptoms of diabetes.

• Obesity. Obesity is the major type 2 diabetes risk, with millions of people throughout the world facing obesity. For more about diabetes and obesity, please click here. Furthermore, the numbers continue to climb, both amongst adults and children. The number of children being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes caused by obesity is climbing everywhere.
  
  
• Lack of exercise and sedentary way of life. Living a sedentary lifestyle without sufficient exercise is seriously damaging to health. Being inactive often leads to being overweight, which can lead to pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. For more information about diabetes and exercise, please click here. Staying active decreases insulin resistance and helps bodily insulin to be more effective.
  
  
• Eating badly. Eating unhealthily is a major cause of type 2 diabetes, as over 90 per cent of type 2 diabetics are overweight. Eating badly is a major contributor to diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Eating too much fat, too many simple carbohydrates, and not enough fibre makes a diabetes diagnosis all the much more likely. Eating well, in conjunction with exercise, can prevent or reverse the development of type 2 diabetes.
  
  
• Family history. Unfortunately, you cannot do much about your genetic history, but you can be aware and ready. For instance, many ethnic minorities are more prone to suffer from diabetes. For more on this, please read diabetes and ethnicity. Being genetically more likely to have diabetes does not mean that you will get it, but it means you should stay aware.
  
  
• Aging. As the population of the world ages, diabetes rates are soaring. Unfortunately, the older we are, the greater the risk of developing type 2 diabetes is. The pancreas, according to some scientists, begins to pump insulin less effectively as we age. Furthermore, bodily resistance to insulin increases with age.
  
  
• High blood pressure and high cholesterol. Both of these bodily forces are risks for many diseases, one of which is type 2 diabetes. These are two major symptoms of pre-diabetes. For more information about pre-diabetes, please click here.
  
  
• Gestational diabetes is another major risk, and affects a surprising percentage of women who fall pregnant. Those women who suffer from it face greater later-life risks of developing diabetes, as do their children. For more about gestational diabetes, please click here.