Question: How obese do you have to be to get type 2 diabetes and why is there only 2 types?

Richard Unwin answered on 12 Nov 2015:

There’s no straightforward answer, but it’s clear that the more obese you are, and the longer you are obese for, the higher your risk of Type 2.
There are historically 2 types, type 1 affects younger people, type 2 mainly starts in adults. In reality, though, there are lots of similarities between the two and there are probably lots of different forms, since two people with Type 2 may have very different symptoms and experiences. I’ve read somewhere that people think there may be over 100 slightly different forms! If you fancy being a scientist, this is a great area and there’s a lot to learn!