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disease information

Diabetes (Type 2)

What causes type 2 diabetes?

Diabetes is a permanent condition for which a cure has not yet been found. As opposed to type 1 diabetes, the causes of type 2 diabetes are well known, and the disease is largely preventable.

The main type 2 diabetes causes and risk factors include:

  • Age

    Diabetes is more likely to affect people over the age of forty, with the risk rising as you age. 6 For this reason, type 2 diabetes is also sometimes referred to as maturity onset diabetes 3. Since the population as a whole is ageing, cases of type 2 diabetes are increasing. 9

  • Family History

    If a member of your family has had diabetes you’re more at risk of developing the disease, especially if this person is in your immediate family. 3

  • Ethnicity

    Certain ethnicities, including African and Asian genetic groups, are more likely than other ethnic groups to develop diabetes. Within the UK, African-Caribbean and South Asian ethnic groups are at least five times more likely than any other group to develop type 2 diabetes. 3

  • Weight

    Type 2 diabetes is strongly linked to obesity, with statistics showing that over 80% of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the U.K. are overweight. 3 For women, a waist measurement of 31.5 inches or more indicates an increased risk of developing the disease, while in men, a waist measurement of 37 inches and above places them at an increased risk.3 For Asian men, the figure is 35 inches or more.

    Obesity is usually a result of inactivity and eating an unhealthy diet, so the less you partake in physical exercise and the less balanced your diet is, the more likely you are to develop the disease. Because modern urban society has generally resulted in unhealthy dietary patterns, such as eating fast foods instead of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a less active lifestyle, larger numbers of the population are becoming obese and at risk of developing diabetes. 9

  • Other Risk Factors:
    • Circulatory problems, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels
    • Previous sufferers of heart attacks and/or stroke
    • Pregnant women who develop gestational diabetes. Although this condition is temporary and can develop either during pregnancy or after giving birth to a large baby, it can result in an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life
    • Overweight women who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).4

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Last Updated 29/04/2009 08:39:49
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