Overweight or Obese Men Without Metabolic Syndrome May Be at Increased Risk for Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is FAT PERSON diabetes, not metabolic syndrome person diabetes.

Overweight or obese men are at increased risk for diabetes even in the absence of the metabolic syndrome, according to the results of a study reported online September 17 in Diabetes Care.

"The existence of an obese sub-group, with a healthy metabolic profile and low diabetes risk, has been proposed," write Johan Ärnlöv, MD, PhD, from Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden, and colleagues. "Yet, long term data is lacking. We aimed to investigate associations between combinations of body mass index (BMI)-categories and metabolic syndrome (MetS), and risk of type 2 diabetes in middle-aged men."

As part of the community-based ULSAM-study, 1675 participants without diabetes were evaluated at age 50 years for cardiovascular risk factors. At baseline, these participants were classified as normal weight (BMI < 25 kg/m2) without metabolic syndrome according to National Cholesterol Education Program criteria (n = 853), normal weight with metabolic syndrome (n = 60), overweight (BMI 25 - 30 kg/m2) without metabolic syndrome (n = 557), overweight with metabolic syndrome (n = 117), obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2) without metabolic syndrome (n = 28), and obese with metabolic syndrome (n = 60). Using logistic regression models to adjust for age, smoking, and physical activity, the investigators examined the relationships between these categories and diabetes incidence.

Diabetes was diagnosed in 160 participants at 20 years. Compared with normal-weight men without metabolic syndrome, risks for diabetes were increased in normal-weight men with metabolic syndrome (odds ratio [OR], 3.28; 95% CI, 1.38 - 7.81; P = .007), overweight men without metabolic syndrome (OR, 3.49; 95% CI, 2.26 - 5.42; P < .001), overweight men with metabolic syndrome (OR, 7.77; 95% CI, 4.44 - 13.62; P < .001), obese men without metabolic syndrome (OR, 11.72; 95% CI, 4.88 - 28.16; P < .001), and obese men with metabolic syndrome (OR, 10.06; 95% CI, 5.19 - 19.51; P < .001).

"Overweight or obese men without MetS were at increased risk for diabetes," the study authors write. "Our data provide further evidence that overweight and obesity in the absence of the MetS should not be considered a harmless condition."

Duh.