Diabetes Risk for Overweight People
WLR dietitian Juliette Kellow reveals the new link between
being overweight and diabetes.
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New Link Between Being Overweight and Getting Diabetes
By WLR Dietitian
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It’s well established that being overweight or obese
increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. But now new research
shows it’s weight gained under the age of 40 that dramatically
increases the risk, especially in women.
In a study of almost 700 adults, the risk of getting diabetes
was slightly higher for each increase in Body Mass Index (for
example, from a BMI of 26 to 27) in adults aged between 25 and
40 years, than those aged 40 to 55 years. Furthermore, severe
weight gain between the ages of 25 and 40 years increased the
risk of developing diabetes by one and a half times in men and
by more than four times in women than in those people who’s
weight stayed stable in early adulthood.
A large weight gain in early adulthood also meant diabetes
was diagnosed five years earlier in men and three years earlier
in women.
The researchers conclude that weight gain in early
adulthood is related to a higher risk and earlier onset of type
2 diabetes than weight gained after the age of 40.
WLR says:
Piling on the pounds in our mid 20s and 30s is common due to
massive changes in our lifestyle.
During this time, many of us
settle into long-term relationships, have children or develop
hectic careers – and this often affects what we eat and drink
and our activity levels. And because these changes happen
gradually, we often don’t recognise that our eating and exercise
habits have even altered.
If you’ve gradually gained weight over the years, it might be
worth identifying a time in your life when your weight was
steady, and looking back at your lifestyle then. You’ll probably
find your current habits are very different to those in the
past. Write down all the differences you can think of and then
consider re-introducing some of them. For example, your list
might include things like going to an aerobics class every week,
walking home from work instead of driving, only eating when you
were hungry, having beans on toast rather than takeaways on a
Friday night or going clubbing every weekend.
Remember, as your waistline has discovered, it’s little
changes that make big differences. The good news is, it’s never
too late to take a step backwards and return to some of those
old habits that helped to keep you slim. |
