The study of teenagers found that the risk of early death from diabetes increased at BMI levels below the cutoff for what is considered "normal" in adults.
A study from Israel finds that a teenager’s body mass index (BMI) could predict the likelihood of dying decades later from diabetes.
What’s alarming, according to the findings, is that the risk of death or complications from diabetes at some future date starts to increase at BMI levels considered normal for many adults.
Researchers from the Sheba Medical Centre evaluated records from 2.3 million teenagers who had their BMI values measured between 1967 and 2010. Values were matched with death records from national registries. A total of 481 deaths from diabetes were found, with a median follow-up of 18.4 years. The average age of death for those who died was 50.6 years.
Teenagers who were already overweight or obese had higher risks for death from diabetes, even after adjusting for other risk factors. The complicating issue here was how one defines “overweight.” The CDC classified adults with a BMI of 18.5 kg/m2 to 24.9 kg/m2 as being in the “normal” range, and those with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 kg/m2 are overweight. Anyone with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or higher is obese.
But in this new study, researchers found that mortality risk started to increase once BMI reached 22.4 kg/m2. For a teenage girl who is 5 feet, 4 inches tall, that means the risk would increase after 130 pounds, not 145. For a boy who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, it’s the difference between 156 pounds and 174 pounds.
“The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity, and of adolescents in the mid- and high-normal range, is likely to account for a large an increasing proportion of (diabetes mellitus) incidence, its related microvascular and macrovascular complications, and (diabetes) mortality,” the authors wrote.
The authors’ warning about the rising risk of diabetes mortality in the population, based on what they were seeing the data from 17-year-olds, was striking: “The estimated population-attributable fraction for (diabetes) mortality was 31.2% for the 1967 to 1977 prevalence of overweight and obesity at age 17, and increased to 52.1% for the 2012 to 2014 prevalence.”
"The increasing prevalence of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity points to a substantially increased future adult DM burden," they wrote.
Reference
Twig G, Tirosh A, Leiba A, et al. Body mass index at age 17 and diabetes mortality in midlife: a nationwide cohort of 2.3 million adolescents [published online October 12, 2016]. Diabetes. 2016; http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/dc16-1203
How Can Employers Leverage the DPP to Improve Diabetes Rates?
February 15th 2022On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Jill Hutt, vice president of member services at the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health, explains the Coalition’s efforts to reduce diabetes rates through the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).
Listen
Balancing Care Access and Fragmentation for Better Outcomes in Veterans With Diabetes
April 22nd 2021The authors of a study in the April 2021 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® discuss the possible reasons behind the link between care fragmentation and hospitalizations in veterans with diabetes, as well as potential opportunities to address disjointed care in the context of the widespread telehealth uptake seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
What We’re Reading: ACA Perception; FDA Blood Sugar Warning; AI and Physician Burnout
February 22nd 2024More than half of US adults have a favorable view of the Affordable Care Act (ACA); smartwatches and rings that claim to measure blood sugar levels without piercing the skin could be dangerous and should be avoided; many believe artificial intelligence (AI) could be the solution to physician burnout.
Read More
Advancements in Diabetes Technology: Coverage, Challenges, and Pregnancy Considerations
February 15th 2024Expert interviews highlight advancements and challenges in diabetes care technology, including automated insulin delivery systems and continuous glucose monitors, as well as improvements in insurance coverage.
Read More