With so many people affected by diabetes, there has been increasing interest among the scientific community and the public at large in discovering how diabetes traits may be inherited, and who is at greatest risk of developing the disease. According to the American Diabetes Association, two factors influence the development of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes: a genetic predisposition to the disease and environmental triggers.

Family history appears to play a greater role in developing Type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association points to cases of identical twins: When one twin has Type 1 diabetes, the other twin develops the disease at most only half the time. However, when one twin has Type 2 diabetes, the other’s risk of developing the disease can climb as high as 75 percent. Whether or not this risk is directly attributable to genetic diabetes traits is unclear; unfortunately, lifestyle factors that contribute …