Are you at risk of type 2 diabetes?

There are around two million diabetes sufferers in the UK, and the overwhelming majority of these patients (around 90 per cent) suffer from type 2 diabetes. This occurs when your body becomes unresponsive to insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas. Insulin helps your muscle cells and other body tissues absorb glucose, so when your body stops reacting to insulin you develop high levels of glucose in your blood stream. Most people can live with type 2 diabetes by making small lifestyle changes or through daily medication prescribed by a doctor. However, making these lifestyle modifications early could avert the risk of contracting type 2 diabetes altogether so it's important to identify if you are in an at-risk group.



Traditionally, type 2 diabetes was known as maturity-onset diabetes. That's because it primarily develops in people aged over 40 years. According to UK figures, around one in 20 people over the age of 65 have diabetes, while that figure rises to one in five for the over 80 age group. However, today there are many more young people being diagnosed with diabetes as well, and health experts estimate that there could be as many as 750,000 undiagnosed type 2 diabetes sufferers in the country. Part of the reason for this may be increasing obesity levels. In general, people who are overweight are far more likely to contract type 2 diabetes. This is especially the case if most of your fat collects around the abdomen, and a waist measurement of 31.5 inches (80cm) for women and 37 inches (94cm) for men will make you particularly at risk.

The pattern may also be influenced by changing demographic patterns and immigrant communities in the UK. For example, if you're from a South Asian or Afro-Caribbean family background, you are five times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Regardless of your ethnic origin, family connections are a major influencing factor for diabetes patients and having a first-degree relative (a parent or a sibling) with diabetes will put you in an at-risk group.



Lifestyle habits such as excessive drinking of alcohol, smoking and lack of exercise can also lead to an increase in your chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Alcohol consumption in particular may play a part in the recent rise of younger diabetes diagnoses, as figures suggest young people are drinking far more today than 20 years ago. Resultantly, adopting sensible drinking habits, quitting smoking and undertaking as little as 30 minutes exercise a day could contribute to significantly better levels of health and have a positive effect on your risk of contracting type 2 diabetes .



Other medical problems that pose an increased risk include polycystic ovary syndrome (especially if you are also overweight), high blood pressure levels or if you have impaired glucose tolerance. If you suspect that you may be at risk, consider whether you are showing any symptoms - for example, if you're always thirsty, passing urine more frequently than usual or if you have regular infections like thrush. Sometimes type 2 diabetes sufferers show no symptoms at all so it's a good idea to visit your doctor if you are in a high-risk category and you want peace of mind.



The author of this article is a part of a digital blogging team who work with brands like Bupa. The contents of this article are of a general nature only and do not constitute specific advice.  This article does not take into account your circumstances or needs and must not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice.