Diabetes risk factors

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Diabetes risk factors

Risk factors for diabetes

You have a higher risk for diabetes if you have any of the following:

• Family history of diabetes
• Low activity level
• Poor diet
• Excess body weight (especially around the waist)
• Age greater than 45 years
• High blood pressure
• High blood levels of triglycerides (a type of fat molecule)
• HDL cholesterol of less than 35
• Impaired glucose tolerance (identified by your doctor)
• Diabetes during a previous pregnancy, or a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
• Certian ethnicities -- African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Native Americans all have high rates of diabetes

Everyone over 45 should have their blood glucose checked at least every 3 years. Regular testing of random blood glucose should begin at a younger age, and be performed more often, if you are at higher risk for diabetes. See diabetes.

Review Date: 08/01/2005
Reviewed By: Nikheel S. Kolatkar, MD, Clinical and Research Fellow, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.