Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the wellbeing of millions of people. The number of people developing type 2 diabetes is ever-increasing, and experts have established the possible factors that determine whether your wellness might be at risk to it too.
Firstly, if you are obese or overweight, this is the single greatest risk of developing type 2 diabetes and gives you a 4 in 5 chance of having the disease. Luckily, you can control this risk factor and Vivian Fonseca, MD, chief of endocrinology at Tulane University Health Sciences Centre in New Orleans encourages ‘Walking 30 minutes a day and reducing weight by 5% can decrease that risk by 60% over three years’, as a lack of exercise is another cause of diabetes.
Next, you might need to find out from your doctor whether you have prediabetes, a condition in which your blood sugar levels are above normal but have not reached the level needed for a diabetes diagnosis. Often, people don’t have discernable symptoms of this so you should get checked out, especially if you are over 45, are overweight or have any of the risk factors listed below.
Your history could determine whether you develop type 2 diabetes, as there is a strong genetic link with the disease and if your parent or sibling has diabetes, you’re at risk too, but can trump the odds with your lifestyle choices. Also, if you are of Native American, Alaska native, African, Asian, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic heritage you are more likely to get type 2 diabetes, although the reasons why are not yet fully understood.
When it comes to giving birth, if you were told during a pregnancy that you had gestational diabetes, you’re more likely to get it during another pregnancy and your chances of developing type 2 diabetes in the next year is increased by 20%. Because of this, your children are also at increased risk of diabetes, and any woman that gives birth to a baby who is over nine pounds in weight is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Finally, medical symptoms such as a dark, velvety rash around the armpits or neck indicate an increased risk of insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes. Your high blood pressure and triglyceride levels, and low levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol are also a factor, as is any history of heart disease in your family, and whether you’ve been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). If you think you might have any of these risk factors, your doctor can give you a diabetes and prediabetes screening and help you to make a healthy lifestyle plan.
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