Who is diabetes more common in

This may be more associated with lifestyle factors, body weight, and where the weight is located abdominally versus in the hip area than with innate gender differences. Type 2 diabetes is increasingly prevalent but also largely preventable. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC , type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes in adults.

The CDC also gives us the following information:. In pregnancy and parentingAccording to the CDC , 4. In up to 10 percent of them, the mother is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes just after the pregnancy.

The rest of these women have a 35 to 60 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes within 10 to 20 years. This risk decreases if the woman leads an active lifestyle and maintains an ideal weight. A child has a 1 in 7 chance of developing diabetes if one parent was diagnosed before age If the parent was diagnosed after age 50, the child has a 1 in 13 chance. Certain racial or ethnic groups have higher rates of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. The risk is higher even after adjusting for other factors.

In the United States, type 2 diabetes is more prevalent for certain groups than for white people. These people include:. Compared to non-Hispanic white adults in the United States, Asian Americans have a nine percent higher risk of diabetes. Non-Hispanic Black people have a Hispanics have a Currently, the rates of diagnosed diabetes are:. One in three are currently diagnosed. Type 2 diabetes is rare for children of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Still, it has higher rates in many minority groups than in white people.

This is particularly true for Asian Pacific Islanders ages 10 to 19 years. Across all ethnic groups though, type 2 diabetes is increasing around the age of puberty.

The number of children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is growing due to more overweight youth. Still, it is much less common in children and young adults than it is in older people. For example, consider data from the CDC : Among children 10 years and younger, the rate of new cases in — was 0.

For ages 10 to 19 years, this rate was 11 per , Comparatively, about And According to one study , this is expected to shift to adults ages 60 to 79 by Type 2 diabetes is on the rise worldwide. The International Diabetes Federation reports that more than million people were living with diabetes as of In , diabetes caused an estimated 1.

The use and regulation of glucose includes the following:. In type 2 diabetes, this process doesn't work well. Instead of moving into your cells, sugar builds up in your bloodstream. As blood sugar levels increase, the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas release more insulin. Eventually these cells become impaired and can't make enough insulin to meet the body's demands.

In the less common type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakenly destroys the beta cells, leaving the body with little to no insulin. Type 2 diabetes affects many major organs, including your heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys. Also, factors that increase the risk of diabetes are risk factors for other serious chronic diseases. Managing diabetes and controlling your blood sugar can lower your risk for these complications or coexisting conditions comorbidities.

Healthy lifestyle choices can help prevent type 2 diabetes, and that's true even if you have biological relatives living with diabetes. If you've received a diagnosis of prediabetes, lifestyle changes may slow or stop the progression to diabetes. For people with prediabetes, metformin Fortamet, Glumetza, others , an oral diabetes medication, may be prescribed to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. This is usually prescribed for older adults who are obese and unable to lower blood sugar levels with lifestyle changes.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Type 2 diabetes is an impairment in the way the body regulates and uses sugar glucose as a fuel. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. More Information Diabetes prevention: 5 tips for taking control. Some people do not find out they have the disease until they have diabetes-related health problems, such as blurred vision or heart disease.

Learn more about the causes of type 2 diabetes. Your health care professional can diagnose type 2 diabetes based on blood tests. Learn more about blood tests for diabetes and what the results mean. Managing your blood glucose, blood pressure , and cholesterol , and quitting smoking if you smoke, are important ways to manage your type 2 diabetes.

Lifestyle changes that include planning healthy meals, limiting calories if you are overweight, and being physically active are also part of managing your diabetes. So is taking any prescribed medicines.

Work with your health care team to create a diabetes care plan that works for you. Along with following your diabetes care plan, you may need diabetes medicines, which may include pills or medicines you inject under your skin, such as insulin. Over time, you may need more than one diabetes medicine to manage your blood glucose.

You also may need medicines for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or other conditions. Learn more about medicines, insulin, and other diabetes treatments. Following a good diabetes care plan can help protect against many diabetes-related health problems. However, if not managed, diabetes can lead to problems such as. Diabetes is also linked to other health problems such as sleep apnea , depression, some types of cancer, and dementia. You can take steps to lower your chances of developing these diabetes-related health problems.

Research such as the Diabetes Prevention Program , sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, has shown that you can take steps to reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes if you have risk factors for the disease. Here are some things you can do to lower your risk:.

Most often, your best chance for preventing type 2 diabetes is to make lifestyle changes that work for you long term. The NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public.