The causes of diabetes are complex and only partly understood. Complicating the picture even further is the fact that there are multiple types, each with its own risk factors. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are the most common, encompassing about 97% or more of cases in the U.S. Each results from a combination of environmental and genetic influences.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type.

Obesity is thought to be a major contributor to Type 2 diabetes. Being overweight is a good prototype for a cause since it is itself a combination of genetic background and lifestyle choices. Though the diet opted for and the amount of exercise one chooses to undertake are lifestyle choices, it’s still true that some individuals gain or shed weight more easily than others.

Obesity and genetics are not the only factors for diabetes.

While diabetes that develops during pregnancy (gestational diabetes), ceases after delivery, it is a risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes later in life. Nearly 40 % of women who have gestational diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes, usually within ten years of the pregnancy in which the gestational diabetes occurred. Giving birth to a larger baby is another sign of high risk.

Genetics also influences glucose intolerance. It makes sense that glucose intolerance contributes to Type 2, since Type 2 is due to improper use of insulin, instead of insufficient insulin (Type1). Because glucose is the body’s primary source of energy it is odd that this condition exists. Strange problems arise with genetic abnormalities.

Ethnicity plays a role in whether or not an individual will develop Type 2 diabetes, though the reasons are not fully understood. Even after adjusting for lifestyle, Aboriginals, Africans, Latin Americans and some Asian groups are at higher risk. The profile varies between 1.5-2 times the incidence among Caucasians, according to one broad Canadian study. Oddly, though, the risk of Type 1 diabetes is much higher among Caucasians than any other race.

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is yet another risk factor. Blood pressure is influenced by genetic factors as well as exercise and diet. The correlation between high blood pressure and the development of diabetes is strong. High cholesterol levels also increase the risk. More than 40% of diabetics have high blood cholesterol levels.

While all of these factors have a genetic component having a family member with the disease likely represents the highest hereditary risk factor.

People who have a sibling or parent with Type 1 diabetes have as much a 20 times higher risk than average. The newborn of a parent with Type 1 has about a 1 in 25 chance of developing the disease if the mother is younger than 25 when she gives birth. The risk lowers to around the same as the general population if the mother is older than 25. If either parent developed diabetes before age 11, the newborn has about a 10% chance of developing the disease.

The genetic risk factors of contracting diabetes are still an active area of research. Fortunately, while in generations past there was nothing one could do to influence them, modern genetic treatments hold out promise of altering even these odds.