According to new findings cited by guardian people who can’t fit into the jeans they used to wear at the age of 21, they risk developing type 2 diabetes.
A weight-loss programme worked perfectly
Professor Roy Taylor, from Newcastle University, was presenting data at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes’ annual conference on an early study that found that people of normal weight with type 2 diabetes could “achieve remission” by losing weight. It was found that eight in 12 people managed to “get rid” of their condition by losing 10 to 15% of their body weight.
Despite having a “normal” body mass index (BMI) -The participants who had type 2 diabetes were able to reduce levels of fat in the liver and pancreas. The activity of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas was then deemed to be restored. Those taking part followed a weight-loss programme that included a low-calorie liquid diet for two weeks.
Each day they were consuming only 800 calories a day through soups and shakes and they completed three rounds of this programme until they lost 10 to 15% of their body weight.
After weight loss was achieved, scans showed reductions in the fat in the liver and 8 of the 12 participants went into remission, which defined that blood sugar level was under control and patients no longer needed any medication.
Professor Taylor suggests
Prof Taylor said: “Doctors tend to assume that type 2 diabetes has a different cause in those who are not overweight. What we’ve shown is that if those of normal weight lose 10 to 15% of their weight, they have a very good chance of getting rid of their diabetes.”
He said the results – which were preliminary – “demonstrate very clearly that diabetes is not caused by obesity but by being too heavy for your own body”.
“As a rule of thumb, your waist size should be the same now as when you were 21. If you can’t get into the same size trousers now, you are carrying too much fat and therefore at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even if you aren’t overweight”, professor Taylor added.
The study
The head of research communications at Diabetes UK, Dr Lucy Chambers said she welcomed the findings but added that they were early. Final results are expected in 2022.