Photo Credit: Elena Bessonova
The following is a summary of “Association of Body Mass Index and Its Change With Incident Diabetes Mellitus,” published in the December 2023 issue of Endocrinology by Ohno, et al.
A knowledge gap exists concerning the specific threshold of body mass index (BMI) that may lead to the onset of diabetes mellitus (DM) and the correlation between fluctuations in BMI and the subsequent risk of developing DM. For a study, researchers sought to elucidate the relationship between BMI and its variations over time with the incidence of DM.
A retrospective observational cohort study was undertaken using the JMDC Claims Database spanning from 2005 to 2021. The study encompassed 3,400,303 individuals without any prior DM history or use of glucose-lowering medications. The cohort’s median age was 44 years, with 57.5% being males. Participants were stratified into four distinct BMI categories: underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9 kg/m2), and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Further, based on changes in BMI observed between the initial health assessment and a subsequent assessment a year later, participants were grouped into three categories: ≤−5.0%, −5.0% to +5.0%, and ≥+5.0%.
A pivotal observation was that the risk of DM escalated notably once the BMI surpassed the range of approximately 20 to 21 kg/m2. Relative to individuals exhibiting a stable BMI (−5.0% to +5.0%), those witnessing an increase in BMI by 5.0% or more faced a heightened relative risk for DM, quantified at 1.33 (95% CI 1.31-1.36). Conversely, individuals who experienced a BMI decline of 5.0% or more manifested a reduced relative risk for DM, pegged at 0.82 (95% CI 0.80-0.84). Intriguingly, participants categorized as normal weight, overweight, or obese witnessed a decline in DM risk upon reducing BMI. However, for those classified as underweight, a decline in BMI was associated with an elevated risk of developing DM.
The study’s outcome has valuable insights that could refine strategies for optimal bodyweight management to mitigate the risk of DM onset.
Source: academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/108/12/3145/7205639?redirectedFrom=fulltext
