According to a study published September 26, 2006, in the medical journal Critical Care, having diabetes increases one’s chances of developing a critical illness such as heart disease and/or dying early; obesity alone does not.
Non-diabetic obese individuals were found to be no more likely to die young or become critically ill than non-diabetics of normal weight. The obese are, however, more likely to develop diabetes than those of a normal weight.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky’s Chandler Hospital and Emory University School of Medicine analyzed the health of more than 15,000 subjects that had originally been studied 20 years ago. They looked for the presence of diabetes (both Type 1 and Type 2), analyzed BMI and reviewed the participants’ histories of critical illness (organ failure) and mortality.
Their findings showed that, in the absence of diabetes, the obese do not suffer from an increased risk of organ failure or premature death. Patients with diabetes were found to be three times more likely to suffer from organ failure and die from it -- or any other cause -- than non-diabetics, regardless of their BMI.
The authors say they found the relationship between obesity, diabetes, and critical illness to be a complex one, but that obesity itself may not intrinsically lead to what they refer to as “poor outcomes.”
The study can be read in its entirety at http://ccforum.com/content/10/5/R137.
This story is adapted from content provided through a news release located at http://www.webwire.com.
