People who have diabetes that are not overweight are potentially stunned when they learn that they have type 2 diabetes. There are both facts and myths about who gets diabetes, and the reasons why they get it. It is important to learn how individuals may develop diabetes even though they are not overweight.

Sources that publish articles and conduct studies about diabetes have traditionally referred to people who have diabetes as obese people who overeat and live a sedentary lifestyle. Recent studies demonstrate that some people who have diabetes are active and within the normal weight range.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicates that while type 2 diabetes is commonly associated with individuals with obesity, studies of nearly 2,700 people who had diabetes indicated that 12 percent of the patients were of normal weight. Some other studies revealed a much higher percentage of people who are not overweight, yet that were diagnosed with diabetes.

There are risk factors for some people of normal weight that can lead to prediabetes and diabetes. One important point is the fact that the BMI does not measure your belly fat. Do you have a soft belly and try to hide your belly fat even though you are within normal weight? Several experts point to abdominal fat, particularly visceral fat, as a contributing factor in people that are not obese, yet have diabetes. Other contributing factors include poor glycemic control among lean diabetics, and environmental factors such as smoking or alcohol use.