7.10.2: Risk Factors/Protective Factors
Risk factors for diabetes may include biological or disease factors outside of a person’s control such as:
- Age (the risk of type II diabetes increases with age)
- Genetics (as in monogenic diabetes syndromes)
- Other diseases (cystic fibrosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, pancreatitis)
- Treatments for other diseases (such as medicines for HIV) (ElSayed et al., 2022)
Particularly for type II diabetes however, there are several risk factors that are related to lifestyle behaviors:
- Obesity
- Poor nutrition (overconsumption of calories)
- Lack of physical activity
Conversely, protective factors against type II diabetes, and strategies used to reverse prediabetes include nutrition, exercise, and weight loss (if obesity is a factor). Exercise alone can increase insulin sensitivity both acutely and over the long term. When skeletal muscles contract, they have an “insulin-like effect” which draws glucose into the muscle cell, while becoming more sensitized to any existing insulin in the bloodstream. This allows them to take up glucose to use for the energy they need. Insulin sensitivity is increased for at least 16 hours after a workout, and if a person exercises regularly (and perhaps also decreases body fat) this can have lasting effects on their ability to manage blood sugar. Physical activity can also reduce the chronic inflammation associated with type II diabetes, and helps those with type I diabetes also manage the disease (Venkatasamy et al., 2013). For people who have obesity, losing just 5-7% of their body weight and getting 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week reduces the risk of type II diabetes by 58%-71% (CDC, 2023b).