Being obese as a teenager DOUBLES the risk of developing type 1 diabetes, according to a new study
- Five percent of children were twice as likely to develop type 1 diabetes
- For overweight children, there was a 54% higher risk
- The revelations come in a report in the medical journal Diabetology
By Stephen Adams for The Mail on Sunday
Posted: 02:02, 5 June 2022 | Updated: 7:37 AM, June 5, 2022
Being obese in adolescence doubles the risk of developing type 1 diabetes, a form of the disease that is not usually associated with weight.
Israeli researchers discovered the link after analyzing the medical records of nearly 1.5 million people, aged 16 to 29, who underwent medical tests before military service.
Five percent fatter people were twice as likely to have type 1 diabetes as those of a healthy weight.
Five percent fatter people were twice as likely to have type 1 diabetes as those of a healthy weight.
For overweight patients, there was a 54% higher risk.
The team behind the research, presented this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association and published in the journal Diabetology, said: “Our findings have implications for public health.
The prevalence of adolescent obesity is rising worldwide at an alarming rate, with terrible projections for the near future. “
A quarter of children in England are obese when they drop out of primary school, according to the National Child Measurement Program, a proportion that has been rising for years.
Type 1 diabetes is known to be an autoimmune disease, one in which the body attacks itself by mistake.