Are you in danger of developing type 2 diabetes?
Whether you’re a bit overweight or one of your grandparents suffered from type 2 diabetes, you should know the risk factors for developing this disease so that you can work at keeping it at a safe distance.
Diabetes is a common chronic disorder characterised by high levels of blood glucose or sugar, which occurs when your cells don’t respond appropriately to insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, and when your pancreas can’t produce more insulin in response.
It usually can’t be cured. If left untreated, it can lead to long-term complications, such as kidney failure, amputation and blindness. Furthermore, it increases your risk for cardiovascular diseases, as Help Guide reports.
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Type 2 diabetes is a disease that usually develops after age 40. Recently, the age of onset has become lower. The sugar levels in someone’s blood tend to rise slowly and progressively over the years before they reach the diabetic range.
The top risk factors for developing this type of diabetes are:
1. Body weight
Being overweight and not exercising is one of the largest risk factors. Those with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more are considered overweight.
2. Body fat
Those whose body’s tendency is to store fat in the abdominal area rather than the hips area are more likely to develop diabetes.
3. Environment
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Adopting the “Western” habits, such as a sedentary lifestyle and higher-fat diets, can often lead to diabetes.
4. Family history
People over 65 or people who have a family history of diabetes are at high risk. Furthermore, a worrying ever-increasing number of children and adolescents who have a family history of the disease have been diagnosed with it.
5. Race and ethnicity
The disease is more common in African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans.
6. Medication
Certain medications can increase insulin resistance or decrease insuline secretion. Some of them include: corticosteroids, used to treat inflammation, diuretics and beta-blockers, used to treat high blood pressure, HIV treatments and hormone therapy for prostate cancer.
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