A combination of factors causes diabetes. These factors are not completely understood and the multiple types of the disease, each with varying risk factors, further cloud the understanding. The most common types are Type 1 and Type 2; approximately 97% of diabetes cases in the United States are one of these two types. A combination of genetic and environmental factors contributes to both types.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type.

Obesity is thought to be a major contributor to Type 2 diabetes. Being overweight is a good prototype for a cause since it is itself a combination of genetic background and lifestyle choices. Though the diet opted for and the amount of exercise one chooses to undertake are lifestyle choices, it’s still true that some individuals gain or shed weight more easily than others.

But there are many other factors, as well.

Gestational diabetes (diabetes that occurs during pregnancy) can add to your future risk of Type 2 diabetes, even though the condition disappears after delivery. Approximately 40 % of women who experience gestational diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes. Usually this happens 5-10 years after they give birth. Large babies indicate a greater risk of diabetes for the mother.

Glucose intolerance is another genetically influenced factor. Since Type 2 diabetes results not from underproduction of insulin (as in Type 1) but from inadequate use of it, it shouldn’t be surprising that glucose intolerance is a contributing circumstance. That glucose intolerance should exist is puzzling enough, since it’s a major source of the body’s energy. But genetic anomalies produce some unusual situations.

Ethnicity plays a role in whether or not an individual will develop Type 2 diabetes, though the reasons are not fully understood. Even after adjusting for lifestyle, Aboriginals, Africans, Latin Americans and some Asian groups are at higher risk. The profile varies between 1.5-2 times the incidence among Caucasians, according to one broad Canadian study. Oddly, though, the risk of Type 1 diabetes is much higher among Caucasians than any other race.

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is yet another risk factor. Blood pressure is influenced by genetic factors as well as exercise and diet. The correlation between high blood pressure and the development of diabetes is strong. High cholesterol levels also increase the risk. More than 40% of diabetics have high blood cholesterol levels.

The largest genetic risk factor is likely a family history of diabetes.

People who have a sibling or parent with Type 1 diabetes have as much a 20 times higher risk than average. The newborn of a parent with Type 1 has about a 1 in 25 chance of developing the disease if the mother is younger than 25 when she gives birth. The risk lowers to around the same as the general population if the mother is older than 25. If either parent developed diabetes before age 11, the newborn has about a 10% chance of developing the disease.

The genetic risk factors of contracting diabetes are still an active area of research. Fortunately, while in generations past there was nothing one could do to influence them, modern genetic treatments hold out promise of altering even these odds.

Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free. Visit http://www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution for diabetes.