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My friends father, from Central America, is 5'6" and probably 130 lbs. He's had Type 2 diabetes for the past 10 years, and is now on dialysis.
My grandmother had Type 2 diabetes (I'm black) and she wasn't obese at all. Granted, she had 13 children so she wasn't a supermodel anymore, but she was a normal size for 55 year old women. She also stored most of her fat in her stomach. She lost her leg, and died.
My mother has Type 2 diabetes. She is overweight, but not obese by medical standards. (She actually has a medical condition which arises from a botched surgery she had when had cancer...) However, she does store all of her fat in her stomach (she has skinny legs.) But don't worry white America, she's not on medicare raising your precious taxes. She has her own insurance that she's paid into. I'm sorry if it raises your friggin premiums, but I don't want my mom to die like my grandmother. Guess I'm selfish like that.
Some people get Type 2 diabetes just because they are overweight, and can manage it that way by losing weight, but some people, like my family and my friends family, are at risk no matter what they do. I think it has to do with genetics.
