This study was undertaken in order to identify the relationships between family history of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors in non-diabetic Mexican individuals.The design was a cross-sectional, population-based study stratified by age and sex. Participants consisted of 189 non-diabetic volunteers 30-64 years of age, both males and non-pregnant females randomly selected from a middle income neighborhood in Durango, Mexico and distributed into two groups, with and without family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Hypertensive subjects were excluded. Body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were assessed. Hematocrit, both fasting and 2-h post 75-g glucose load insulin, and glucose levels, lipid profile, serum albumin, and proteinuria were measured.Ninety-four (49.7%) individuals with family history of type 2 diabetes, and 95 (50.3%) in the control group were included. The prevalence of obesity was greater among women with family history of diabetes, 39 (73.6%) vs. 27 (50.0%) of the control group, p = 0.02. Adiposity tended to be centrally distributed in 86 subjects, of whom 22 (25. 6%) males and 54 (62.8%) females were in the group with family history of diabetes and four (4.6%) males and six (7.0%) females in the control group, p