Causes and risk factors

Diabetes type 2 often runs in families which means that if your grandmother, mother or father, brother or sister has diabetes, you may well develop it too. You are also at greater risk of getting diabetes if you are overweight, if you do very little exercise, if you have high blood pressure and if you have had a stroke or heart attack. Diabetes type 2 occurs more in white populations  over 40 than those over 25 in black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups. 

Mike thinks diabetes is caused by hereditary factors as well as lifestyle.

Nasir was told his diabetes was probably hereditary but he says he's also been overweight for some time.

Mrs Patel and five of her siblings have diabetes which they inherited from their father.

The people we talked to had different ideas about what might have caused diabetes. Many believed that a family history of diabetes had predisposed them to the condition, others said it was caused by a combination of factors which included being overweight, being a heavy smoker or drinker, and not having done much exercise for years. Some people said that eating too much over many years hadn't affected them until they became middle-aged and had stopped being so active. Eating too much of the wrong kind of food and 'comfort' eating were said by several people to have contributed to their diabetes (see 'Talking about - Food, Eating and Diet').

Duncan thinks that his old habits of eating lots of takeaways and heavy drinking may have caused his diabetes.

Pamela attributes her diabetes to both hereditary and lifestyle factors.

Isabel blames many aspects of her former lifestyle for her diabetes.

Alex thinks his drink problems played a part in causing his diabetes.

Other illnesses or health conditions, particularly having high blood pressure and high cholesterol, were also seen as contributory factors in diabetes. Some people we talked to had comoribidities (other illnesses) which had made it difficult for them to take regular exercise. 

Andy doesn't know exactly what caused his diabetes but says that chronic pain has always made exercise painful.

Others wondered if having too much stress in their lives either through life events or because of pressure at work could have triggered diabetes. Others said that having a 'sedentary' job which included working at a computer screen all day or driving for a living could be partly to blame for their diabetes. 

Lawrence has wondered about the causes of his diabetes and thinks that a series of stressful events may have caused it.

Stuart drives a taxi for a living and feels it hasn't helped with his diabetes.

Helen was under stress at work and wonders if too much adrenaline pumping round her body might have triggered diabetes.

Growing up in a stressful environment had also made some women develop eating disorders including bulimia. Several women linked their current weight problems with early childhood experiences of abuse and bullying which meant that they had taken comfort in food and/or alcohol at an early age. 

Kay talks about her childhood, the abuse she experienced and the effect that had on her weight.

Initially Zoe thought that her weight loss was a sign of diabetes.

Eating too much of the 'wrong thing' such as food that was rich in sugar, salt and spices and having a habit of drinking fizzy 'pop' or fruit juice as opposed to water was also said to lead to diabetes. 

Not everyone was interested in what had caused their diabetes and said that what mattered more was accepting the diagnosis and getting to grips with what it would mean for them in the long-term. A few people said they had no idea why they had developed diabetes and wondered if glandular problems or an unknown virus may have been responsible. 

He feels resigned to having diabetes and prefers to focus on controlling it as much as possible.