Healthy Body Weight is Crucial in the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes, Regardless of Genetic Predisposition
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3 Part Webinar Series: Rescuing Your Practice, Serving Your Patients with Obesity and Creating a Stronger Tomorrow
Genetic predispositions account for the increased likelihood of developing a particular disease, and extensive research has shown that obesity greatly increases the risks of developing type 2 diabetes and many other chronic conditions.
Recent research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) by Dr Theresia Schnurr and Hermina Jakupovi examined the association of obesity, genetic predisposition, and unfavorable lifestyle with incident type 2 diabetes. The summary? Obesity increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by at least 6 times, regardless of genetic predisposition to the disease.
Genetic predisposition was quantified using a genetic risk score (GRS) comprising 193 known type 2 diabetes-associated genetic variants and divided into five risk groups of 20% each (quintiles), from lowest (quintile 1) to highest (quintile 5) genetic risk. Those with the highest GRS were twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Those with the unhealthiest lifestyle were 18% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with the healthiest. Notably, even among individuals with a low GRS and favorable lifestyle, obesity was associated with 8.4 times increased risk of T2D compared with healthy weight individuals in the same genetic and lifestyle risk group.
Schnurr and her team concluded that, “The results suggest that type 2 diabetes prevention by weight management and healthy lifestyle is critical across all genetic risk groups. Furthermore, we found that the effect of obesity on type 2 diabetes risk is dominant over other risk factors, highlighting the importance of weight management in type 2 diabetes prevention.”
You’re invited to a complimentary On-Demand Webinar, Weight Management & Diabetes, presented by John Hernried, MD, FACP.
• Review the current standard of care for weight management and diabetes
• Understand goals: control vs. remission
• Examine the nutritional treatment of diabetes for the remission
• Discuss pharmacotherapy for diabetes and combining therapies
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