Extra weight, family history, and lifestyle are all considered contributors to the development of type 2 diabetes. Researchers would like to add one more risk factor–blood vessels.

Saverio Stranges, MD, Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, UK, found changes in the blood vessels and sub-clinical systemic inflammation can also help identify people at high risk for future development of type 2 diabetes.

Researchers found high levels of E-selectin and white blood cell count with low levels of serum albumin were clear predictors of high risk for type 2 diabetes. Traditional risk factors such as obesity or family history helped identify 65% of all patients who were at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. When the information from these three markers was added this increased from 65% to 73% which means doctors could be able to spot a greater number of people at risk of type 2 diabetes at an early stage.

These findings corroborate that endothelial dysfunction plays an important role in the development type 2 diabetes. Endothelial dysfunction is also regarded as a key event in the development and progression of atherosclerosis.