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Diabetes risk higher in younger vs. older adults with similar weight profiles
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Among adults with similar degree and duration of weight gain, those who were younger had a greater risk for developing diabetes, according to recent study findings published in Diabetes Care.
“Our finding supports continued efforts to prevent weight gain in both younger and middle-aged adults,” the researchers wrote. “It further highlights the importance of accounting for the age in which weight gain occurs when assessing obesity’s impact on diabetes risk.”
Gina S . Wei, MD, MPH, of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and colleagues evaluated data from three cohort studies — the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC), Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) and the Framingham Heart Study — on 17,404 adults (56% women; 21% black) to determine whether duration and degree of weight gain is linked to diabetes risk in younger vs. middle-aged black and white adults.
Gina S. Wei
Participants were divided at baseline by age into younger ( 30 and < 45 years) and middle-aged ( 45 and < 60 years) cohorts. The duration and degree of BMI for participants was calculated as “BMI-years” above one’s baseline BMI. Follow-up was conducted for a median of 9 years.
Overall, researchers found 1,509 new cases of diabetes among all participants. Incidence per 100,000 person-years was 7.2 in younger black participants, 24.4 in middle-aged black participants, 3.4 in younger white participants and 10.5 in middle-aged white participants.
BMI was classified as net gain in BMI-years (area 1), net loss in BMI-years (area -1) or no change in BMI-years (area between –1 and 1). Net gain of at least one BMI-year occurred in 72% of younger black participants, 60% of middle-aged black participants, 76% of younger white participants and 67% of middle-aged white participants. During follow-up, the median gain in BMI-years was greater in the younger groups compared with the middle-aged groups.
After various adjustments, a higher risk for diabetes was associated with gains in BMI-years. The HRs for each 1-unit increase in log BMI-years were as follows: 1.18 for younger black participants, 1.02 for middle-aged black participants, 1.35 for younger white participants and 1.11 for middle-aged white participants.
“A cautionary message to young adults might be that gaining weight at their age may be more strongly associated with developing diabetes than if similar weight gain were to occur in their middle-aged counterparts,” the researchers wrote. – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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