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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffThe same factors that increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increase the risk of developing prediabetes, including:
- Weight. Being overweight is a primary risk factor for prediabetes. The more fatty tissue you have — especially around your abdomen — the more resistant your cells become to insulin.
- Inactivity. The less active you are, the greater your risk of prediabetes. Physical activity helps you control your weight, uses up glucose as energy and makes your cells more sensitive to insulin.
- Age. The risk of prediabetes increases as you get older, especially after age 45. Often, that's because people tend to exercise less, lose muscle mass and gain weight as they age. But diabetes is also increasing dramatically among children, adolescents and younger adults.
- Family history. The risk of prediabetes increases if a parent or sibling has type 2 diabetes.
- Race. Although it's unclear why, people of certain races — including blacks, Hispanics, American Indians and Asian-Americans — are more likely to develop prediabetes.
- Gestational diabetes. If you developed gestational diabetes when you were pregnant, your risk of later developing diabetes increases. If you gave birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds, you're also at increased risk of diabetes.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome. For women, having polycystic ovary syndrome — a common condition characterized by irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth and obesity — increases the risk of diabetes.
Other conditions associated with diabetes include:
- High blood pressure
- High levels of low-density (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol
- Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol
- High levels of triglycerides, another fat in the blood
When these conditions — high blood pressure, high blood sugar and abnormal blood fats — occur together along with obesity, they are associated with resistance to insulin. This is often referred to as metabolic syndrome.
