Diabetes mellitus risk factors are high, if you have family history of diabetes, obese, low physical activity, and bad food habits.
What are the risk factors of diabetes?
- Genetic (Hereditary) - family members had diabetes.
- no or low physical activity
- improper food habits
- obesity – excess body weight and (or) waist size.
- age greater than 45 years
- gestational diabetes during pregnancy & Given birth a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
- HDL or good cholesterol level less than 35 mg/dl
- triglycerides level more than 250 mg/dl
- blood pressure at or greater than 140/90 mmHg
- previously diagnosed as pre-diabetes or Impaired glucose tolerance
- ethnic – Asian, particularly Indian (world's largest diabetes population), Middle East, Oceania and the Caribbean, African American, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans, all have high rates of diabetes.
Everyone over 45 should have their blood glucose checked at least every 2 years. Moreover, be performed more often if have high diabetes risk factors.
Diabetes risk factors explained.
Certain factor that increases the chances of developing diabetes is diabetes risk factors. Now let us explore, why and how these risk factors increase the chances of having diabetes.
Genetic or Hereditary risk factor
If mother has diabetes, there is a risk factor of getting diabetes, and if father has diabetes, the risk is more. If both mother and father have diabetes, then chance of having diabetes is comparatively much more.
No or low physical activity
If there is no or low physical activity, then sugar or glucose that is consumed cannot be burnt fully, thus rises blood glucose-level and increases the glycogen storage. It forces to secrete more insulin to balance the excess glucose-level. However, in due a coarse pancreas is not able to secrete this increasing requirement causing diabetes.
Improper food habits
When consume foods high in glucose (carbohydrate) or fat (oily foods) than the actual requirement that leads to blood-glucose level rise. Pancreas responded by increasing the insulin secretion proportionally. Slowly, the pancreas is not able to secrete this increasing requirements lead to diabetes.
Obesity (excess body weight and or waist size)
Obesity (large waist size) or over weight means there is too much storage of fat. Mostly, this storage takes time that is because of continuous surplus consumption of sugar or/and oily food than required for long time. In addition, many studies proved that excess fat storage might be the contributing risk factor for insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes).
Age greater than 45 years
Every organ starts losing its ability after 40 to 45 years, including pancreas. Similarly, after 45 years of age, it is difficult to maintain required insulin secretion, so aging is considered as a diabetes risk factor.
Gestational diabetes during pregnancy
Risk factor of having diabetes is high for both mother and the child involved in gestational diabetes. It is due to both gene factor and inability of the body.
You previously diagnosed as pre-diabetes
Pre-diabetes means a high blood-glucose level higher than normal but not high enough to diagnose as diabetes. Pre-diabetes can be reversible by following diabetes lifestyle changes, if not end up with diabetes.
Ethnic
Certain country, region, community, hereditary, food habits, climate and lifestyle have some increased risk factor towards diabetes.