Four Risk Factors That Increase Your Chance for Type 2 Diabetes

A student at Emory University, Rodney Goodie is enrolled in the Executive Master of Public Health program with a concentration in community health and prevention science. Rodney Goodie also leads the Texas-based St. Hope Foundation as its chief executive officer. Conditions treated at St. Hope include type 2 diabetes, characterized by the body’s inability to produce and absorb insulin. A number of factors can increase an individual’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes, including the following:

1. Age. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes can increase with age, particularly for patients over 45. People at this age tend to exercise less and begin to lose muscle mass. The risk increases even further after age 65.

2. Family history and ethnicity. Type 2 diabetes has a hereditary component, and a family history of the condition increases an individual’s risk for developing it. Additionally, ethnic groups such as African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans are more likely to receive a diabetes diagnosis. Researchers also noticed a rise in type 2 diabetes among non-US populations that adopt Westernized habits, such as larger portion sizes and higher calorie consumption.

3. Lack of physical activity. Physical activity turns glucose into energy and makes the body’s cells more susceptible to absorbing insulin. Lower levels of physical activity heighten the risk for type 2 diabetes.

4. Weight and fat storage. Physicians and researchers considers obesity the largest risk factor for type 2 diabetes, as copious amounts of fatty tissue makes the body’s cells more resistant to insulin.