Diabetes is a medical condition in which the body does not produce enough insulin or is unable to use insulin effectively, resulting in excessively high sugar levels within the blood. People with uncontrolled diabetes are more likely than healthy people to develop nerve damage, vision loss or heart disease. If you have one or more of the predisposing factors of diabetes, talk with your doctor about how you can reduce your risk of developing this condition.
Increased Age
People over the age of 45 are at an increased risk of developing diabetes. As you age, your body's hormone levels---and the way in which you respond to these hormones---can begin to change. Though the levels of the hormone insulin do not appear to change significantly during aging, certain patients can begin to become unresponsive to the effects of insulin---a condition called insulin resistance or intolerance. If this happens, it can become more difficult for your body to perform certain functions, such as removing sugar from your blood, which can lead to diabetes.
Obesity
If you are overweight, you are at an increased risk of developing diabetes. Excess body weight due to obesity can contribute to insulin resistance, which causes your body to be unable to effectively use the sugar that is in your blood. The risk of diabetes due to obesity can be compounded by factors such as high blood pressure (140/90 mmHg or higher), high cholesterol levels (240 mg/dL or higher) and lack of exercise, warn health professionals with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Family History
If your father, mother or siblings have been diagnosed with diabetes, you may also be at risk of developing this condition. This predisposing factor of diabetes may have a genetic link, but it might also be due to learned behavior, such as poor eating habits or not exercising, explains the American Diabetes Association.
Ethnicity
People of certain ethnic backgrounds are at a significantly increased risk of developing diabetes. While type 1 diabetes is more common in Caucasians, type 2 diabetes is more common in black Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders. The highest rate of diabetes is seen in Native American populations. In fact, Native Americans are 2.2 times more likely than Caucasians to be diagnosed with diabetes, explains Discovery Health.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs in approximately 2 percent to 5 percent of women during pregnancy, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This form of diabetes only occurs during pregnancy and resolves once the baby is delivered. Current estimates indicate that approximately 40 percent of these women go on to develop diabetes later in life. Women who deliver a baby that weighs more than 9 lbs. are also more likely to develop diabetes in the future.
