Who Gets Type 2 Diabetes?

What makes people more likely to develop type 2 diabetes? No one knows for sure. But experts have a few ideas about what puts a person at greater risk:

Most people who have type 2 diabetes are overweight. In the past, it was mainly overweight adults who got type 2 diabetes. Today, doctors are finding that more kids and teens are developing type 2 diabetes, probably because more kids and teens are overweight.

People with family members who have diabetes get diabetes more often. Also, people from Native American, African American, Hispanic/Latino, or Asian/Pacific Island backgrounds are also more likely to get type 2 diabetes.

People who are older than 10 are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than younger kids. This is probably because the extra hormones our bodies produce during puberty may make some people more insulin resistant.