Diabetes Month Day 3--Know Your Risk Factors

Question

Who is at risk for Type 2 diabetes? What about Type 1 diabetes?

Answer

I think it is also important to embed a little lesson on risk factors versus causality before moving on to a discussion of risk factors: Here is one tutorial.


Even though we don’t fully understand why some people develop Type 2 diabetes and others do not, we do know that there are some factors that increase the risk:

1. Being overweight (as determined by you and your primary care provider)—the more excess fatty tissue you have, the harder it is for your cells to use insulin.  Please remember that not everyone who is overweight will develop diabetes, and some people develop diabetes even though they are not overweight. You cannot tell if a person has diabetes or will develop diabetes just by looking at them; and their health is between them and their doctor, period.
2. Having fat distribution in the abdomen vs. fat distribution in the hips/thighs. If you are visiting with a dietitian who is qualified in doing a Nutrition Focused Physical Exam (NFPE) they might do a waist circumference measure/ratio to help determine your risk.
3. Being inactive or less active—less active people will have cells that are more resistant to the action of insulin. Again, people may have reduced activity levels for a lot of reasons and not all lower activity folks will develop diabetes.
4. Family history—your risk is higher if your parent or sibling has diabetes.
5. Race/Ethnicity—African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, and Asian-Americans are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. 
6. Previous diagnosis of pre-diabetes, gestational diabetes, or polycystic ovary syndrome.
   Type 1 diabetes risk factors seem to be related to a family history and genetics, although other causes are being investigated.
   Want to keep reading? Click on the link!
   http://www.joslin.org/info/Type_2_Diabetes_Know_Your_Risk_Factors.html