A number of symptoms can come with Type 2 Diabetes

You may:

• be hungrier than usual
• be thirstier than usual
• need to urinate more often
• be more tired
• have blurred vision

• feel numbness in your hands and feet.

Sometime you can have diabetes without any obvious symptoms. If you have any concerns you should always talk with your family doctor or nurse for professional health advice.

 Some people are at higher risk

There are certain things that raise your risk of Type 2 Diabetes that you do not have control over.

These are things like:

• a family history of diabetes including gestational diabetes
• getting older
• belonging to a high-risk ethnic group (People of Maaori, Pacific and South Asian descents have a higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes compared with the general population).

Modifiable risk factors: Things you can change

There are some things that raise your risk of Type 2 Diabetes that you can change. These are some times called Modifiable risk factors. These are things like

• being overweight or obese (especially carrying excess body weight around your waist)
• eating a diet high in saturated fats (such as animal fats and palm oil)
• eating a more than what your body needs, including over-eating, eating servings that are too big and eating lots of energy dense foods such as high sugar drinks and takeaways
• having a sedentary lifestyle, that is doing very little physical activity or exercise.

Obesity is the major risk factor of Type 2 Diabetes.

Having a sedentary lifestyle, doing very little physical activity or exercise also puts people at higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

For some people, following a healthy diet and exercise programme can be as effective as taking medication for their diabetes.