Information
You have a higher risk for diabetes if you have any of the following:

• Age greater than 45 years
• Diabetes during a previous pregnancy
• Excess body weight (especially around the waist)
• Family history of diabetes
• Given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
• HDL cholesterol under 35
• High blood levels of triglycerides, a type of fat molecule (250    mg/dL or more)
• High blood pressure (greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg)
   Impaired glucose tolerance
• Low activity level
• Poor diet

Persons from certian ethnic groups, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans, all have high rates of diabetes

Obesity
An excessively high body weight increases diabetes risk. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple, widely accepted means of assessing body weight in relation to health for most people aged 20 to 65 (Exceptions include people who are very muscular, athletes, pregnant or nursing.) A BMI greater than 27 indicates a risk for developing type 2 diabetes, and other health problems which include cardiovascular disease, and premature death. As the implications of the BMI are not the same for everyone, you should discuss your BMI with your physician if it is too high (or too low) according to the chart.

Apple-shaped figure
Individuals who carry most of their weight in the trunk of their bodies (i.e., above the hips) tend to have a higher risk of diabetes than those of similar weight with a pear-shaped body (excess fat carried mainly in the hips and thighs). A waist measurement of more than 100 cm (39.5 inches) in men and 95 cm (37.5 inches) in women suggests an increased risk.

Age
Age increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Canadian data for 1996/97 show that the prevalence rate of diabetes in those aged 65 and over (10.4%) is three times as high as the rate in those 35 to 64 (3.2%).

While most diabetes occurs in older persons, it should be noted that the appearance of type 2 diabetes in children is increasingly being reported in the medical literature. In Canada, the problem is particularly apparent among Aboriginal children, mainly girls. In some communities, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Aboriginal females aged 10 to12 years has been reported to be 3.6%.

Ethnic Ancestry
Being of Aboriginal, African, Latin American or Asian ethnic ancestry increases the risk of developing of type 2 diabetes. Risk levels for these groups are between two and six times higher than for Canadians of Caucasian origin.

High Blood Pressure
Up to 60 percent of people with undiagnosed diabetes have high blood pressure.