Am I at Risk?
Reviewed by CDE Mehandi Sharma · Updated
Testing is recommended for people with risk factors, so knowing yours is the practical first step.
The recognised risk factors are:
- Being 35 or older.
- A parent or sibling with Type 2 diabetes.
- Being overweight or obese — by Indian thresholds.
- A large waist measurement.
- Physical inactivity.
- Belonging to a higher-risk ethnic group, which includes South Asians.
- A history of gestational diabetes.
- PCOS, or sleep apnoea.
- Smoking.
Two of these deserve emphasis for Indian readers.
Ethnicity is not a footnote here — South Asians are explicitly among the higher-risk groups, and Indians reach this stage younger than white Europeans.
And the weight thresholds are different. India defines overweight from a BMI of 23 and obesity from 25, well below the international figures of 25 and 30. So the phrase "I am not overweight" needs checking against Indian cut-offs before it is used as reassurance.
A history of gestational diabetes is also frequently forgotten years later, and it belongs permanently in your medical history.
If two or more of these apply to you, ask for a test at your next visit rather than waiting to be offered one.