Weight gain precedes the onset of diabetes

[K K Aggarwal]

Weight gain precedes the onset of diabetes

Weight gain after age 18 years in women and after age 20 years in men also increases the risk of type 2 diabetes said Padma Shri, Dr. B C Roy National Awardee & DST National Science Communication Awardee, Dr. K K Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India and Sr National Vice President Indian Medical Association.

The Nurses’ Health Study compared women with stable weight (those who gained or lost <5 kg) after the age of 18 years to women who gained weight. Those who had gained 5–8 kg had a relative risk of diabetes of 1.9; this risk increased to 2.7 for women who gained 8–11 kg. Similar findings were noted in men in the Health Professionals Study.
Thus, the excess risk for diabetes with even modest weight gain is substantial.

Among Pima Indians (a group with a particularly high incidence of type 2 diabetes), body weight gradually increased 30 kg (from 60 kg to 90 kg) in the years preceding the diagnosis of diabetes.