Overweight diabetes patients outlive slimmer ones - study

[steve2470]

http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/05/04/health-obesity-diabetes-idINL1N0XQ1XU20150504

May 4 (Reuters) - Patients with type-2 diabetes who are overweight but not obese outlive diabetics of normal weight, scientists reported on Monday, in another example of the "obesity paradox."

Although public health officials issue dire warnings about the consequences of overweight, and employers are pressuring workers to slim down via "wellness programs," the relationship between weight and longevity is paradoxical: Studies show that although obesity increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), overweight patients with CVD live longer than patients of normal weight.

Similarly, obesity increases the chances of developing type-2 diabetes. But it wasn't clear if overweight confers a survival advantage in diabetics.

Sixteen previous studies got conflicting answers: Some found overweight diabetics had lower mortality; others didn't. But many were hobbled by methodological problems including few patients, short follow-up, or using questionnaires rather than clinic records.

[NickB79]

1. All the more reason to attempt to maintain a healthy weight and not develop diabetes at all

And as the study pointed out, there are still questions as to why the overweight diabetes patients lived longer than the thin diabetes patients:

One way extra pounds might keep diabetics alive longer is if overweight protects against frailty and osteoporosis, which can kill. Alternatively, diabetes in lean people might take an especially lethal form.

"It's likely those diabetic patients with normal weight have a more aggressive form of type-2 diabetes compared to those who are overweight and obese," Costanzo said. (Reporting by Sharon Begley; Editing by Ted Botha)

[yeoman6987]

2. Instead of doing these studies,

Find a cure. It's insane that we still don't have a cure for AIDS, Cancer, MS, and diabetes among many others. The amount of money spent on studies and money donated to find a cure is an incredible amount. Someone said if they found cures for these the amount of money lost would be devestating. Do you think they want to find a cure and be out of work? Kinda scary if true.

[Warpy]

4. Add to this an earlier study that demonstrated overweight post menopausal women

lived longer than their normal or underweight sisters did and they might start understanding why our bodies tend to put on weight as we age.

While larger, better designed studies are clearly needed, those studies also need to be separated by sex, to see if one sex benefits more from increased weight than the other, which might be the case.

Or maybe not. Old people don't seem to interest young researchers all that much so the studies like this that should have been done decades ago still have not been done.

[daredtowork]

3. Maybe someone is wrong about the definition of "overweight"

Perhaps the ideal weight is being defined in ters of (male?) aesthetic preferences when actually nature favors the body that can fast for a whike, hibernate, or survive a famine…?

[MannyGoldstein]

5. The more we know,

the less we know.

[Gothmog]

6. Thanks for posting

This is very interesting