The question arises: if parents are diagnosed with diabetes, can it develop in you? To answer this, one must first understand the two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops in childhood and requires lifelong insulin use. Meanwhile, type 2 diabetes results from an unhealthy lifestyle and poor diet; medications are prescribed to control this condition, and sometimes insulin is necessary.
Doctors note that if one parent suffers from type 2 diabetes, the risk of developing this disease during life can increase by approximately 30–40%. If both parents have the disease, this risk increases even further. However, genes alone do not guarantee the development of the illness; often, improper habits related to lifestyle are the cause.
Regarding type 1 diabetes, most people suffering from it have no prior family history of the ailment. This means that even if parents have type 2 diabetes, you may still face a risk. Nevertheless, despite family predisposition, the danger can be significantly reduced by maintaining a healthy weight, diet, and regular physical activity.
Professor Dr. Rajesh Hargawat from the Endocrinology Department at AIIMS Delhi provided recommendations. He advises against succumbing to fear but maintaining vigilance if parents have diabetes. It is necessary to exercise daily for at least 45 minutes, monitor weight, and avoid mental stress.
Another way to prevent diabetes is through regular check-ups. Checking fasting blood sugar levels and HbA1c every few months allows for the detection of sugar levels, especially if weight gain or other risk factors are observed. This enables the disease to be discovered at an early stage.