Is diabetes found more commonly in certain age groups, ethnic groups, or a particular sex?

Is diabetes found more commonly in certain age groups, ethnic groups, or a particular sex?

Chances are, you're asking about type two diabetes, also known as adult onset diabetes, insulin resistance, or impaired glucose tolerance.

Yes, the incidence of type two diabetes can be seen to vary considerably depending on ethnicity and age. Not as much with sex, however. Look up Pima Indians sometime for a really fascinating story illustrating how taking people who's ancestors had a healthy 'living off the land' lifestyle to the typical western diet of high Calorie to low nutrition ratio foods, and a sedate lifestyle, resulted in the incidence of type two diabetes to soar up to almost 50% by age fifty in all Pima Indians. Yes, there's a genetic component, but it's the diet and lack of exercise that have a more profound influence on whether or not you're likely to become type two diabetic.

type 1 has a higher rate in children and african americans. type 2 is common in overweight people.

There are different types of diabetes with different causes and factors involved. You may want to be more specific when you ask. For example, there is a 100% greater chance of a woman developing gestational diabetes ... men just don't get it.

--edit--

I did a Google search and found this:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles...

but it appears they're only talking about type 2 diabetes.

And of course type 1 diabetes (aka juvenlie diabetes) is very likely to be found in the young, where type 2 diabetes is uncommon in children.

--edit--

Well, it's a tough read, but here's something I found about different groups developing type 1 diabetes:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/4060...

I had heard something before about there being a higher incidence of type 1 diabetes in cooler parts of the world, but I wanted to find something to confirm it before I said anything.

Yes, it is found more commonly in the North American and Central American first nations peoples. The average is about 3 times the normal "European" population in the same area. The people of most interest are the Pima and Otomi Indians in Mexico and the southern states. They run about 50% incidence of diabetes - the highest in the world. Because of this, they have had a lot of research done on them to understand why.
The largest cause I know of for the rest of the first nations is diet with a sedentary lifestyle and a susceptibility to it.
It tends to affect both sexes equally in the "european" peoples.