15 Common Risk Factors Of Type 2 Diabetes

Both your genes and your childhood environment (learned eating habits, outdoor activities, sleeping patterns, reward mechanisms, etc.) can increase or decrease your risk of developing diabetes.

The more fat you have (especially around your middle), the more resistant your body becomes to insulin and the hunger-regulating hormone leptin. 

MORE: 12 Superfoods To Boost Insulin Response

Prolonged periods of sitting increase your chances of developing diabetes. Why? Working your muscles squelches the fire of inflammation. Not using your muscles leads to the development of diabetes. And when you sit, you barely use any muscles.

Certain races are more prone to the ravishments of the Western diet than others: Hispanics, blacks, Hawaiians, Native Americans, and Asians have an increased risk of developing diabetes.

MORE: 8 Ways To Slash Your Risk For Diabetes

Beginning at age 45, your risk for diabetes grows considerably. At this time in your life, you have likely eaten too many cupcakes with icing and walked too few miles (fix that now with these walking tips!)—and the effects of this lifestyle are beginning to show. And retirees have an even higher risk of developing diabetes because they can easily fall prey to the damages of a sedentary lifestyle.

Diabetes during pregnancy is like an early warning shot: You have the genes, and if you are not careful with what you eat and how you live, you will eventually develop diabetes. 

MORE: 10 Surprising Foods Making You Fat

Having a baby who weighs more than 9 pounds puts you at risk for developing diabetes later in life.

When your hemoglobin A1c hovers close to 6.0, consider yourself at risk.

MORE: 11 Weird Things Inflaming Your Body

People have a tendency to adopt the lifestyle habits of those closest to them, including family members, friends, and co-workers.

An elevated TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) level and/or antibodies against thyroid tissue are often found in patients with diabetes. And many have gluten intolerance. Be sure your doctor addresses all of these problems.

MORE: 3 Common Signs of a Low-Functioning Thyroid

This syndrome manifests itself more in your ovaries and your skin, but it still has many features of diabetes. And the treatment is also the same: improved lifestyle.

If you've experienced a stroke, your odds of developing diabetes automatically increase. 

MORE: 17 Herbs and Spices That Fight Diabetes

This is a skin condition in which skin located under the armpits and in folds of the body is dark, thicker, and velvety. 

Those who are gluten intolerant are at an increased risk of developing diabetes as well.

MORE: The Hidden Sources of Gluten in Your Home

Lack of sleep promotes weight gain and obesity. 

Adapted from The Diabetes Cure