Type 2 Diabetes Risk Factors

No one knows exactly what causes type 2 diabetes. But we do know that certain behaviors and conditions, called risk factors, can make people more likely to develop it. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:

• Having a family member with type 2 diabetes

• Having pre-diabetes (a fasting blood sugar between 100-125 milligram per deciliter)

• Being overweight or obese (a body mass index of 25 or higher)

• Getting very little exercise

• Being over 45 years old

• Being Hispanic, Native American, African American, or Asian/Pacific Islander

• Having high blood pressure (140/90 mm hg in adults)

• Having HDL (good) cholesterol less than 35 mm/dl and/or a tgriglyceride level of 250 mg/dl or higher

• Having polycystic ovary syndrome

• Having had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy), or a baby weighing over 9 pounds