Title: Type 2 diabetes - Illnesses & conditions | NHS inform
Headings: Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes
About type 2 diabetes
Symptoms of diabetes
Causes of type 2 diabetes
Treating type 2 diabetes
Complications of type 2 diabetes
Preventing type 2 diabetes
Living with type 2 diabetes
Source: NHS Grampian
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Content: In type 2 diabetes, there are several reasons why the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes
Four of the main risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes are: age – being over the age of 40 (over 25 for south Asian people)
genetics – having a close relative with the condition, such as a parent, brother or sister
weight – being overweight or obese
ethnicity – being of south Asian, Chinese, African-Caribbean or black African origin, even if you were born in the UK
Age
Your risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases with age. This may be because people tend to gain weight and exercise less as they get older. Maintaining a healthy weight by eating a
healthy, balanced diet
and
exercising regularly
are ways of preventing and managing diabetes. White people over the age of 40 have an increased risk of developing the condition. People of south Asian, Chinese, African-Caribbean and black African descent have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes at a much earlier age. However, despite increasing age being a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, over recent years younger people from all ethnic groups have been developing the condition. It's also becoming more common for children – as young as seven in some cases – to develop type 2 diabetes, mainly due to rising obesity levels. Genetics
Genetics is one of the main risk factors for type 2 diabetes.