Drinking alcohol in excess quantities can trigger diabetes. Heavy drinking can cause chronic pancreatitis, which can lead to diabetes by damaging the insulin producing cells of the pancreas. Drinking alcohol can also push up your body weight, significantly increasing the risk of developing insulin resistant diabetes.

A diet rich in saturated fats can induce type II diabetes. Studies have revealed that a high fat diet disrupts insulin secretion in the pancreas. In addition to this, saturated fats can stimulate the immune system to increase production of inflammatory proteins known as interleulin-1beta. Interleukin-1beta reduces the sensitivity of the body cells to insulin. 

A sedentary lifestyle is one of the key causes of type II diabetes. Inadequate physical activities will elevate your body weight. The adipose tissues accumulating in your body will inhibit the activities of insulin. Regular exercises help the body to use glucose for energy and eliminate the excess fats from the body, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the body cells to insulin.

During pregnancy, the hormones secreted by the placenta might obstruct the activities of insulin, raising the glucose level in the blood of the pregnant woman. This condition, known as gestational diabetes, can develop in women without a previous history of diabetes. It is usually diagnosed after the 20th week of pregnancy. Although, the blood glucose will return to the normal level after delivery, a history of gestational diabetes significantly pushes up the risk of developing type II diabetes in the future.

Prediabetes is a condition in which the blood glucose level is marginally higher than normal. In people with prediabetes, the fasting plasma glucose level is between 100 mg/dL and 126 mg/dL, and the postprandial blood sugar level is between 139 and 200 mg/dL. Prediabetes indicates that the body is gradually losing its ability to process glucose. If left untreated, within ten years prediabetes could lead to diabetes.

The aging process of the body might play a role in reducing sensitivity to insulin and decreasing the activities of the pancreatic cells associated with insulin secretion. Type II diabetes is usually diagnosed after the age of 45 years. Excess fat gain, loss of muscle mass and few physical activities are believed to increase the risk of type II diabetes in aging people.

Studies have shown that the incidence of type II diabetes is higher among people of African origin, whereas people of European origin have a lower risk of developing the condition.

Your risk of developing diabetes is determined by the distribution of fat tissues in your body. Excess fat in the abdomen pushes up the risk of developing insulin resistance more than fat accumulating in the thighs and hips. The adipose tissues in the abdomen are associated with production of hormones known as adipokines that increase resistance to insulin. 

Compared with people with normal body mass index, obese and overweight people have a higher risk of developing type II diabetes. The excess fat cells increase secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, glycerol, non-esterifies fatty acids, hormones and other factors that reduce the body’s sensitivity to insulin. Insulin resistance when combined with reduced production of insulin in the pancreas causes type II diabetes. 

In most cases, people with type II diabetes have a family history of the condition. Studies have revealed that the risk of developing diabetes is greater in individuals whose mothers are diabetic. If both the parents are diabetic, a child has 50 percent higher chance of developing diabetes.