Men develop diabetes at lower BMIs than women
Men develop type 2 diabetes at a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) than women, according to new research by clinical academics at the University of Glasgow. The research, carried out with colleagues from the Scottish Diabetes Research Network , helps explain why men have higher rates of diabetes in many parts of the world. Type 2 diabetes is a condition caused by too much sugar in the blood which occurs when the body's ability to regulate sugar levels in several different organs becomes disturbed: a process in part linked to excess fat in some of these organs such as the liver and muscles. There are around 2.5 million people in the UK with type 2 diabetes1. Professor Naveed Sattar, of the Institute of Cardiovascular & Medical Sciences, who led the research, said: "Being overweight is a major risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes although there are many other factors involved too, such as age, ethnicity and genetics". "Previous research has indicated that middle-aged men are at a higher risk of developing diabetes than women and one possible explanation is that men have to gain less weight than women to develop the condition. In other words, men appear to be at higher risk for diabetes" To test this theory researchers analysed data from 51,920 men and 43,137 women in Scotland with diabetes and compared body mass index (BMI) rates which had been recorded within one year of diagnosis, and the age of the patients.
