Risk Factors
According to Diabetes.ca, over three million Canadians have diabetes, and that number is only expected to increase. Many Canadians aren't even aware that they have type 2 diabetes, which includes risk factors such as:
- Your genetics: If you have a family history of type 2 diabetes, you have a higher chance of developing the disease.
- Aging: as you get older, your body makes less insulin and blood sugars tend to increase. The Canadian Diabetes Association recommends that people over 40 be tested once every three years for type 2 diabetes.
- Your ethnic background: Type 2 diabetes is more common in American Indian, African-American, Asians, and Hispanic Americans.
- Family history: if either of your parents have type 2 diabetes, you are more likely to develop it.
- Lifestyle. “We tend to be more sedentary now,” says Dr. Bebb. “In the old days, you'd send the kids to the park and say 'don't come back until dinner.' Now, they don't go to the park, they sit in front of the TV, or they play in front of their Gameboy. They are not physically active, which sets the stage for weight change and an increase in blood sugars.”
- Obesity: This is the number one risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
The number of children who are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes has also risen, and doctors are seeing an alarming increase in previously adult-only conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
