Here's some surprising news: many scientists now believe that asians who adopt a Western lifestyle are more likely than Caucasians to develop diabetes.

According to Dr. William Hsu, director of the Asian Clinic at the Joslin Diabetes Center, this is something most people, including physicians, are unaware of.

Many Asians don't appear to be overweight, but when they do gain weight it hovers around their bellies, and that's what puts them at risk," Hsu says. "Diabetes is so commonly associated with the elderly and the obese that people tend to forget that genetics is also a factor. Although Asians are on average smaller than people of other ethnicities, it is a group that is genetically at risk," he says.

That's valuable information, but the important thing to remember is that lifestyle changes can beat out genetics in giving you a healthy life. Even moderate changes, such as a walk each day, can cut your risk of developing diabetes--or having it worsen--by 50%.

(Photo Source: CDC)