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Worryingly high number of Type 2 diabetics are morbidly obese

By jeremyc | November 24, 2009

By Helen Albert

One in five adults with Type 2 diabetes is now morbidly obese, report researchers.

“The rate of morbid obesity among people with diabetes is increasing at a very alarming rate, and this has substantial public health implications,” said Holly Kramer (Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois, USA) lead author of the study published in the Journal of Diabetes and its Complications.

Kramer and team assessed trends in body mass index (BMI) between 1976 and 2006 in 4162 individuals with and 40,376 individuals without Type 2 diabetes who participated in the National Health and Examination Surveys.

During the study period, average BMI increased from 29.2 kg/m2 to 34.2 kg/m2 in individuals with Type 2 diabetes and from 25.2 kg/m2 to 28.1 kg/m2in individuals without diabetes.

Obesity is classed as a BMI of 30–40 kg/m2 (classes I and II), whereas morbid obesity is defined as a BMI of 40 kg/m2 or above (class III).

The team found that total (classes I to III) and morbid obesity increased from 39.5% and 8.6%, respectively, in 1976–1980 to 62.4% and 20.7% in 2005–2006 among those with Type 2 diabetes.

There was also a substantial 1.36- and 3.45-fold increase in total and morbid obesity, respectively, in nondiabetics over the study period.

The results of this study demonstrate that “approximately two thirds of the US population with Type 2 diabetes and approximately one third of the population without diabetes are now obese,” say the authors.

“What is most concerning is the rapid rise in Class III obesity prevalence, which has more than doubled over the past 2 decades.”

These findings are alarming as obesity is associated with many health problems including heightened risk for cardiovascular mortality.

The researchers conclude: “This has important implications for the likely growth of the population with Type 2 diabetes and diabetes related comorbid conditions.”

Topics: | Diabetes |

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