Are your lifestyle choices putting you on the road to diabetes? Lifestyle risk factors for diabetes include:

Smoking: Of the U.S. adults diagnosed with diabetes between 2017-2020, 22.1% were tobacco users and 36% had quit tobacco but had a history of smoking 100 cigarettes or more in their lifetime.    

Being overweight or obese: A body mass index of 25 or higher puts you at an increased risk for diabetes. Ninety percent of people with diabetes are overweight.

Physical inactivity: Being more active lowers blood sugar and enables insulin to be more effective.

Some risks are out of your control which makes living a healthy lifestyle even more important. They are:

Family history: Your diabetes risk increases if your parents or siblings have diabetes.

Race or ethnic background: Black Americans, Asian Americans, Latino/Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Pacific-Islanders have a greater chance of developing diabetes.

Age: The older you are the higher your risk for prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.

Gestational diabetes: If you developed diabetes during pregnancy you are at a greater risk for developing diabetes later in life. 

Polycystic ovarian syndrome: Many people with polycystic ovarian syndrome have insulin resistance placing them at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes.