Research involving over 445,000 UK Biobank participants demonstrates that excess weight has a more significant impact on developing type 2 diabetes than inherited genetic factors, highlighting the importance of weight management in prevention efforts.
Excess weight appears to be a far stronger driver of type 2 diabetes than inherited risk, according to researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Milan who analysed data from 445,765 people in UK Biobank. In the study, published on the basis of long-term follow-up of participants with an average age of 57.2 at the start, 31,298 people went on to develop type 2 diabetes, or about 7% of the group.
The clearest pattern was seen at the extremes of body mass index, or BMI, a measure of weight in relation to height. People in the highest BMI group, with an average BMI of about 34.5, were around 11 times more likely to develop diabetes than those in the middle of the range, whose average BMI was about 21.7. The researchers found that this relationship held regardless of genetic susceptibility, suggesting that body weight was more useful than the genetic score they used for separating people into higher- and lower-risk groups.
The findings add to a growing body of work from Cambridge pointing to diet and body fat distribution as important factors in diabetes prevention. In separate studies, the university has reported that higher yoghurt intake was linked with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, while red and processed meat consumption was associated with a higher risk and replacing sugary drinks with water or unsweetened tea or coffee could help reduce risk. Another Cambridge-led genetic study suggested that the body’s inability to store excess fat safely raises the chances of insulin resistance, a key step on the path towards diabetes and heart disease.
The new analysis does not imply there is one universal weight threshold at which diabetes becomes inevitable. Instead, the researchers suggest that each person may have a different point at which excess fat begins to disrupt glucose control. That means weight loss below an individual tipping point could materially lower risk, even for people with an unfavourable family history. BMI remains only a rough measure, however, and it does not show how much fat a person has or where that fat is stored, which helps explain why age, physical activity, diet and metabolic health still matter.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
