Type 2 diabetes starts when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or can’t respond properly to it. Insulin turns sugar into energy, which is then used by the body’s tissues. When someone has type 2 diabetes, their blood sugar levels are too high because the body isn’t able to use insulin efficiently.
There are many risks for type 2 diabetes, like age, family history, obesity, and physical inactivity. However, even if people have one or more of these risk factors, they may not develop type 2 diabetes.
Here are some of the risk factors:
Age
Type 2 diabetes develops after the age of 40 and becomes more common as people grow older. This is because the body’s ability to use insulin decreases with age. Insulin controls blood sugar levels by helping glucose enter cells, where it is used for energy or stored as glycogen. As we age, insulin becomes less effective at lowering blood sugar levels and keeping them in check.
Race/Ethnicity
African Americans and Latinos are likelier to develop type 2 diabetes than white people and Asians. Indians have a particularly high risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with other groups in the U.S., although they tend not to be as obese as some other groups.
Weight and Body Mass Index (BMI)
Overweight or obese individuals have a greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes than those who aren’t overweight. A healthy weight helps one stay at a healthy BMI level. Obesity is determined as having a BMI greater than 30 kg/m2; overweight individuals have a BMI between 25 and 29 kg/m2; those who are underweight have a BMI less than 18.5 kg/m2.
Family History of Diabetes
If a close family member has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, there is an increased chance that one will develop the disease too. Having one parent with type 2 diabetes increases one’s risk by 40 percent while having two parents with it can increase the risk to 80 percent.
Tobacco Usage
Tobacco usage is one of the most important modifiable risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Smoking increases the risk of developing other health problems besides diabetes. It is also believed to be responsible for more than 80 percent of deaths from coronary heart disease and lung cancer.
