Scientists say they have mapped the most important genes that put people at risk of type 2 diabetes, offering hope that a test could be delivered.
The findings could explain up to 70% of the genetics of the disorder which affects over 1.9 million UK people.
Family history is a major risk factor for the condition, along with obesity.
See http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6342855.stm for more

and

More evidence has emerged suggesting a link between pollutants found in oily fish and type two diabetes.
An international team found high levels of persistent organic pesticides (POPs) in the blood correlated to insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.
see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6544709.stm

Interesting that as a man at under 16stone (ie under 98Kg) and at 6'2 " tall, I am in no definitiion obese, yet nearly everything i read points to obesity being the major contributing factor to beming type 2 diabetic. Indeed when I went to the Diabetics Session run by my local Health Authority, i was the thinnest person there, yet I now feel 'fat'

It is depressing