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Diabetes Diabetes Basics

Who's at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?

Summary & Participants

Find out if you're at risk for type 2 diabetes.

Medically Reviewed On: July 21, 2009

Webcast Transcript

SUSAN, HAS TYPE 2 DIABETES: I had had a knee replacement. I put -- put on 80, 85 pounds. I ate, anything that was in sight, I ate. And then I woke up one day and I had -- I had diabetes.

ASTRID ALMODOVAR, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: Risk factors for diabetes are #1 being overweight, having no physical activity. Also, there are certain ethnic groups that have more or higher prevalence of diabetes, African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians and some Asian groups.

ANNOUNCER: A family history of type two diabetes is also a risk factor.

ASTRID ALMODOVAR, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: I always say that if you're Latino, you're African American, you have a family history; you already have a ticket for the diabetes train. Once you have your first abnormal sugar, you're on that train and the train is moving.

ANNOUNCER: Even children can be at risk for type two diabetes -although this type used to affect adults almost exclusively.

ASTRID ALMODOVAR, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: We already have children in high schools that have high blood pressure and high cholesterol and high sugars. So now we're only, we're just trying to stop or slow down the process where they go into full-blown diabetes and target organ damage.

ANNOUNCER: The good news is early intervention can make all the difference in the world.

ASTRID ALMODOVAR, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: We're trying to do basically is recognize those people who are at risk and trying to provide them with the information that they can do something to change the course. And they do not have to develop diabetes. The advantage is that we can stop the progression of diabetes.

ANNOUNCER: Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily.