While anyone can develop type 2 diabetes at any stage of their life, it is good to know certain factors that can put you at a greater risk.

Many people are unaware of the serious implications of getting Diabetes and sometimes even see the illness as a natural part of growing old.

The Caribbean mindset

In the Caribbean, Diabetes is referred to as sugar. I remember hearing my mother often saying to me that her sugar level was high.

At that time I had no real idea what Diabetes was and how it affects every organ of your body.

Her comments and the comments of other adults I heard as a young boy, led me to believe that Diabetes was no so much something to be feared but to be expected as the years rolled on.

Diabetes can be reversed

I now know this is not the case, Diabetes is something to be feared and it can be avoided.  It can also be reversed with the right lifestyle.

This has been the case in many people who are on a sugar and refined carbohydrate diet, contrary to what many doctors have said about Diabetes, that it is a progressive and non-reversible disease.

What are the risk factors?

It is good to know the risk factors for Diabetes so you can act to avoid full-blown diabetes developing.

Common risk factors include high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.

• Your risk of diabetes increases with age.
• You’re more at risk if you’re white and over 40
• Or over 25 if you’re black or South Asian.
• You’re more at risk if you’ve ever had high blood pressure or have a history of heart disease or stroke
• Being overweight puts you at risk, especially if you’re large around the middle.
• If there is any family history of the disease, you should monitor your blood glucose levels carefully.
• You’re two to six times more likely to get Type 2 diabetes if you have a parent, brother, sister or child with diabetes.
• Your risk increases if have a history of gestational diabetes or gave birth to a baby weighing 9 pounds or more
• Being inactive and living a sedentary lifestyle can also put you at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Eating junk food, sugar-laden foods will also put you at high risk of developing diabetes, which is why a low sugar diet works so well not only to avoid getting Diabetes but also to reverse it.