Diabetes is a common disease affecting 425 million adults worldwide. That number is expected to rise to 592 million by 2035.12 It’s a chronic disease that causes hyperglycemia.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes. Risk factors are both genetic and environmental. The main cause of type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance.
Cause
Your body converts food to glucose (sugar) and uses it for energy. Insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas, tells your body how much sugar to release into the bloodstream.
Diabetes occurs when you don’t have enough insulin or your body doesn’t use insulin properly. This causes too much sugar to stay in the bloodstream, resulting in persistent hyperglycemia.
Long-term exposure to this extra sugar negatively affects how your body makes, delivers, and uses insulin. This results in insulin resistance, the main cause of type 2 diabetes.
Is Type 2 Diabetes Hereditary?
Your genetic makeup refers to your genes or DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Genetic disorders are characterized by gene mutations or a change or difference in your DNA sequence. However, this doesn’t always mean that genetic mutations are inherited.
When you inherit a genetic mutation, it’s present at birth. But genes can also mutate or change based on environmental factors. Genes that mutate after birth are not inherited.
Your chance of getting type 2 diabetes increases when you have a first-degree relative who has it. First-degree relatives are your siblings, parents, and children.
One study noted the following statistics regarding family connections:
If you have one sibling with type 2 diabetes, your risk increases by 2-3%.
If you have two siblings with type 2 diabetes, your risk increases by 30%.
The risk is higher if the parent who has it is your mom rather than your dad.
Researchers have identified 150 genetic variations that may increase the risk of diabetes. How these mutations contribute to the disease is still unknown. Most likely, a combination of hereditary and environmental factors causes type 2 diabetes.
Do these statistics mean you inherit type 2 diabetes? Not necessarily. They just show a family connection and a possible genetic predisposition to the disease. Shared lifestyles may also contribute to the family link.