A discovery by a team of Swedish researchers helps explain why some women of normal weight develop type 2 diabetes, despite not having any known risk factors. The research shows that when it comes to assessing risk for type 2 diabetes in women, not only do waistlines matter, but so does the size of fat cells.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, type 2 diabetes could account for 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes begins as insulin resistance, and as the need for insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is often associated with older age, but is increasingly being diagnosed in children. Obesity, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity also play a role in whether or not someone develops type 2 diabetes.
Image: Human insulin molecule.
“Increased knowledge of the link between enlarged fat cells and the development of type 2 diabetes may give rise to new preventive and therapeutic alternatives,” said Malin Lönn, co-author of the study. “Our research also identifies the ratio waist-to-height, waist circumference divided by body height, as a simple tool that can be used to identify women at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.”
For this study, the researchers invited women to free health examinations over the course of 25 years. In 1974-1975, scientists collected abdominal fat biopsies from some of the women and tracked who developed type 2 diabetes. They found that the number of abdominal fat cells remained relatively constant in women after adolescence, but the size of fat cells could change considerably throughout life and were larger in women with type 2 diabetes. In addition, they found that waist-to-height ratio may also be a good indicator of diabetes risk.
“Despite notions to the contrary, size does matter to women, at least when it comes to her fat cells, her waist-to-height-ratio and her risk for type 2 diabetes,” said Gerald Weissmann. “This is a remarkable study that should lead to preventive measures for this most common of serious diseases.”
References:
1. Malin Lönn, Kirsten Mehlig, Calle Bengtsson, and Lauren Lissner. Adipocyte size predicts incidence of type 2 diabetes in women. FASEB J. doi:10.1096/fj.09-133058.
