To what dangerous disease can obesity lead teenagers?

June 7, 2022  12:36

Obesity is a well-known risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. Scientists recently conducted a new study that adds to the evidence that obesity also contributes to the much less common type 1 diabetes.

The study was published in the journal Diabetologia.

The study, which included nearly 1.5 million Israeli teenagers, found that those who were obese were twice as likely to develop type 1 diabetes by young adulthood as those who were of normal weight.

There are two main types of diabetes. The most common is type 2 diabetes. It occurs when the body can no longer properly use the hormone insulin, which does the essential job of moving sugars from food into the body's cells for use as fuel. Older age and obesity are two major risk factors for developing this disease.

Both forms of diabetes lead to a buildup of sugar in the blood because the cells are unable to metabolize it. But both diseases are treated differently: People with type 2 diabetes can manage it with a healthy diet, exercise, and weight loss, although oral medications are often necessary.

People with type 1 diabetes, by contrast, must take synthetic insulin to survive -- daily injections or a pump attached to the body.

It's not entirely clear why obesity increases the risk of developing type 1 diabetes, notes Dr. Gilad Twig, a senior researcher in the new study.

But the general consensus is that in some people with a genetic predisposition to type 1 diabetes, obesity can trigger the development of the disease.

Twig's team found a clear pattern. The risk of being diagnosed with the disease increased as a function of body weight during adolescence. Compared to normal-weight teens, those who were overweight had a 54 percent higher risk, and those who were obese had twice the risk.

The researchers noted that nearly 60% of children and teenagers in the U.S. are obese by age 35, most of them in their teens. As obesity rates rise, the incidence of type 1 diabetes should be expected to rise.

Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter


 
  • Video
 
 
  • Event calendar
 
 
  • Archive