Men at Higher Risk for Type 2 Diabetes than Women

According to an expansive study performed by researchers at the University of Glasgow, men are more prone to developing type-2 diabetes at a lower body mass index (BMI) than women.

The researchers examined data on 51,920 diabetic men and 43,137 diabetic women, comparing the BMI scores of each participant within one year of diagnosis. They also factored in the age and smoking habits of the participants.

They found that the diabetic women had an average BMI of 33.69 at diagnosis, but the diabetic men had an average BMI of 31.83.

Naveed Sattar, lead researcher of the study and a professor from the Institute of Cardiovascular & Medical Sciences, reported that having a higher BMI is a “major risk factor” for type-2 diabetes.

“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,” he stated.

“The results from this research confirm an inverse relationship between BMI and age at diagnosis of type-2 diabetes,” Sattar continued. “But they also confirm our hypothesis that men have to gain less weight to develop diabetes.”

Victoria King, head of research at Diabetes UK, noted that these findings may aid scientists in comprehending why men develop type-2 diabetes at a higher rate than women, and will hopefully one day help men reduce this risk.

According to Diabetes UK research, type-2 diabetes accounts for 85% to 95% of all people with diabetes.

The study is published in the medical journal, Diabetologia.