When it comes to assessing risk for type 2 diabetes, not only do waistlines
matter to women, but so does the size of their fat cells. This new discovery
by a team of Swedish researchers was just published online in the FASEB
Journal and helps explain why some women of normal weight develop type 2
diabetes, despite not having any known risk factors.
"Increased knowledge of the link between enlarged fat cells and the
development of type 2 diabetes may give rise to new preventive and
therapeutic alternatives," said Malin Lönn, co-author of the study and
associate professor in the department of clinical chemistry at Sahlgrenska
University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden. "Our research also identifies the
ratio waist-to-height, waist circumference divided by body height, as a
simple tool that can be used to identify women at risk of developing type 2
diabetes."
The data for this discovery were obtained as part of the "Prospective Study
of Women in Gothenburg," performed in Sweden and started in 1968 by
Professor Emeritus Calle Bengtsson. For this study, a team of Swedish
researchers invited women to free health examinations over the course of 25
years. In 1974-1975, scientists collected abdominal fat biopsies from some
of the women and tracked who developed type 2 diabetes. They found that the
number of abdominal fat cells remained relatively constant in women after
adolescence, but the size of fat cells could change considerably throughout
life and were larger in women with type 2 diabetes. In addition, they found
that waist-to-height ratio may also be a good indicator of diabetes risk.
"Despite notions to the contrary, size does matter to women—at least when it
comes to her fat cells, her waist-to-height-ratio and her risk for type 2
diabetes," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB
Journal. "This is a remarkable study that should lead to preventive measures
for this most common of serious diseases."
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, type 2
diabetes may account for 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of
diabetes. The disease begins as insulin resistance, and as the need for
insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce insulin.
Type 2 diabetes often is associated with older age, but is increasingly
being diagnosed in children. Obesity, family history of diabetes, history of
gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, physical inactivity, and
race/ethnicity also play a role in whether or not someone develops the
disease. In particular, African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans,
American Indians/Native Americans, and some Asian Americans and Native
Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders are at high risk for type 2 diabetes.
