Anyone can develop type 2 diabetes, but certain factors can increase a person’s risk. These risk factors include:
- Weight.
Being overweight is the main risk factor for type 2 diabetes. However, you don’t have to be overweight to develop type 2 diabetes.
- Fat distribution.
If you store fat mainly in the abdomen, you have a greater risk of type 2 diabetes than if you store fat elsewhere, such as in your hips and thighs. Your risk of type 2 diabetes rises if you’re a man with a waist circumference above 40 inches (101.6 centimeters) or a woman with a waist that’s greater than 35 inches (88.9 centimeters).
- Inactivity.
The less active you are, the greater your risk of type 2 diabetes. Physical activity helps you control your weight, uses up glucose as energy, and makes your cells more sensitive to insulin.
- Family history.
The risk of type 2 diabetes increases if you have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes
- Race.
Although it’s unclear why, people of certain races — including black and Asian, people — are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than white people are.
- Age.
The risk of type 2 diabetes increases as you get older, especially after age 45. That’s probably because people tend to exercise less, lose muscle mass and gain weight as they age. But type 2 diabetes is also increasing dramatically among children, adolescents, and younger adults.
- Pre-diabetes.
Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Left untreated, prediabetes often progresses to type 2 diabetes.
- Gestational diabetes.
If you developed gestational diabetes when you were pregnant, your risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases. If you gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds (4 kilograms), you’re also at risk of type 2 diabetes.
Read: Diabetes; key facts
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome.
For women, having polycystic ovarian syndrome — a common condition characterized by irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth, and obesity — increases the risk of diabetes.
- Areas of darkened skin, usually in the armpits and neck.
This condition often indicates insulin resistance.