Scientists from Tel Aviv University found obesity also contributes to type 1 diabetes.
They tested nearly 1.5 million Israeli teenagers and found that those who were obese were twice as likely to develop type 1 diabetes by young adulthood, versus those in the normal weight range.
The research is published in the journal Diabetologia and was conducted by Dr. Gilad Twig et al.
Diabetes exists in two main forms. Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common. It arises when the body can no longer properly use the hormone insulin, which has the critical job of moving sugars from food into body cells to be used for fuel.
Older age and obesity are two of the major risk factors for the disease.
Type 1 diabetes, in contrast, is an autoimmune disease. It stems from an abnormal immune system attack on insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, and many cases are diagnosed in children and teenagers.
Past research on obesity and type 1 diabetes has largely focused on children. The new findings link obesity in the teen years to type 1 diabetes in adulthood.
In the study, the team used data on over 1.4 million Israeli teenagers, aged 16 to 19, who underwent medical exams for military service between 1996 and 2016.
During that period, 777 were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes—at an average age of 25.
Twig’s team found a clear pattern. The risk of being diagnosed with the disease rose in tandem with body weight during the teen years:
Compared with normal-weight teens, those who were overweight had a 54% greater risk, while those with obesity had double the risk.
The researchers pointed out that nearly 60% of children and teens in the United States will become obese by age 35, most of them by the teen years.
With rising levels of obesity, the findings suggest an uptick in type 1 diabetes is to be expected.
Obesity may fuel chronic inflammation in the body, which might contribute to the abnormal immune reaction that marks type 1 diabetes.
Obesity also has other effects—including vitamin D deficiency and alterations in the gut’s bacterial makeup—that could impair immune function.
The team says young people at increased risk of type 1 diabetes may need to be especially careful about maintaining a healthy weight.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies about the secret behind a healthy weight loss, and this stuff in oranges may reduce obesity and prevent diabetes.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies about drug that can boost weight loss in people with type 2 diabetes, and results showing achievable weight loss may reverse type 2 diabetes.
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