39 / 106
more inactive a person is, the higher her chance of developing obesity and
type 2 diabetes.
The final risk factor you should be aware of is ethnicity. African
Americans, Hispanic and Latino Americans, Native Americans, and Asian
Americans all have a greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes than non-
Hispanic, white Americans. In fact, one study indicated that Native
Hawaiians are twice as likely to have diabetes than white residents of Hawaii.
Although numerous theories are in development, at this point researchers
don’t know exactly why certain ethnic groups are at greater risk for develop-
ing diabetes than other groups. Some of these theories rest on genetics while
others rest on
socioeconomic
and
cultural
issues like the amount and
quality of health care certain groups have access to and the types of foods
certain groups eat.
Although decreasing in significance as the obesity epidemic rises, an addi-
tional risk factor to consider is your age. While type 2 diabetes can develop
at any age, once you hit forty-five, your chances of encountering the condi-
tion go way up. But again, this increased likelihood of developing the disease
is probably due to weight gain from the less-active lifestyles and slowing
Not So Sweet: Diabetes / 37