Diabetogenesity of adiposity:When to intervene?

Objective: Obesity is one of the modifiable risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Adiposity causes insulinresistance and diabetes by various mechanisms. This study was undertaken to determine diabetogenic effect ofadiposity in relation to age for identification of vulnerable age groups.Methods: This prospective study included 370 healthy adult non-diabetic individuals. Height and weight wererecorded to calculate body mass index (BMI). Fasting blood sugar (FBS) was estimated by glucose oxidase method.Results: A stepwise increase in magnitude of BMI was observed with increase of age in decades. Although increasein mean FBS was observed with age, statistically significant (p = 0.00093) increase in mean FBS was observed onlyin 4th decade of life. Positive correlation was observed (Pearson’s correlation coefficient r = + 0.26) between BMIand FBS.Conclusion: With increasing age, BMI and FBS increase, especially during 4th decade of life. This emphasizes theneed to target the vulnerable age group (30-40 years) for creating awareness about maintenance of ideal body weightto prevent early onset of type 2 diabetes. Positive correlation between BMI and FBS reiterates diabetogenic effect ofadipose tissue and emphasizes importance of maintenance of normal BMI.