The International Diabetes Federation reports that roughly 10.5 percent of the adult population across the globe has diabetes. Given that prevalence, it stands to reason that millions more individuals are aware of the risk factors for the disease, particularly type 2 diabetes. The IDF notes more than 90 percent of people diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, which can be attributable to lifestyle factors like poor diet, lack of physical activity and overweight or obesity.
The most common risk factors for diabetes are widely known, but lesser known variables also can increase the chances a person is diagnosed with the disease.
• High uric acid levels: The buildup or uric acid in the blood is a hallmark of a type of arthritis known as gout. Though gout and diabetes are different, WebMD notes that a person’s risk for one condition increases when they have the other. The medical term for high uric acid levels is hyperuricemia, which the Cleveland Clinic reports is a very common condition that affects roughly one in five people. Consuming foods and beverages that are high in purines can cause uric acid levels to increase over time. Such foods and beverages include red meat, organ meats like liver, seafood (particularly salmon, shrimp, lobster, and sardines), and alcohol (especially beer and even included nonalcoholic beer).
• Housing insecurity: A 2022 study published in the journal BMC Health Services Research found that 38 percent of adults with diabetes reported housing insecurity. Authors of the study defined housing insecurity as how often respondents reported being worried or stressed about having enough money to pay rent or a mortgage. The study noted that individuals who experience housing insecurity were less likely to visit a physician and have an A1C test, which the National Institutes of Health note offers information about blood glucose levels and can be used to diagnose type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. Individuals with housing insecurity were also less likely to have an eye exam. The American Diabetes Association notes eye exams are important in relation to diabetes because the disease is the leading cause of vision loss in people between the ages of 18 and 64.
• Mental health: A research team led by Professor Inga Prokopenko of the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom found that depression increases a person’s risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The 2023 study traced the link to shared genes that play a role in insulin production and in inflammation in various areas of the body, including the brain. Researchers noted the link between depression and diabetes is indirect, but concluded that both depression and type 2 diabetes can be contributing factors to the development of each condition.
Physical activity levels and diet are widely recognized risk factors for diabetes. But individuals should know that additional variables also have been linked to an elevated risk for a disease that affects a considerable percentage of the adult population across the globe.
