There are many factors that may influence whether a person gets diabetes. This is true for both type 1 and for type 2 diabetes. One factor that people wonder about is if they inherited their diabetes.

There are sources that claim that genetics has little to no role in who gets diabetes. Experts, however, typically agree that genetics is important in families where one or more people in the family has diabetes or had it in the past. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) indicates that while type 1 and type 2 diabetes have different causes, a person inherits a predisposition to diabetes. An environmental factor then triggers the diabetes.

Similarly, researchers published details in the World Journal of Diabetes that explain the inheritance factor. Researchers reviewed both the history and the current knowledge related to genetics and type 2 diabetes risk. They explained that there is both an environmental factor and a “strong hereditary component” when considering type 2 diabetes. Studies show that more research is needed on the genetic factors related to type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Researchers continue to study the inheritance factor and expect to learn more about the role of genetics in diabetes in the future.

It is important that people who have diabetes remember that genetics is only one possible risk of developing diabetes. Obesity and living a sedentary lifestyle are still primary risk factors for diabetes.