Men at higher risk of diabetes

Scientists have discovered why men are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared to women.

Being overweight or obese is a known risk factor for type 2 diabetes, a condition caused by higher than normal levels of sugar in the blood.

But researchers at the University of Glasgow found that men appear to develop the condition at a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) compared to women.

The study findings help to explain why men have higher rates of diabetes in many parts of the world, the researchers said.

Study leader Professor Naveed Sattar, of the Institute of Cardiovascular & Medical Sciences, said: "Being overweight is a major risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes although there are many other factors involved too, such as age, ethnicity and genetics.

"Previous research has indicated that middle-aged men are at a higher risk of developing diabetes than women and one possible explanation is that men have to gain less weight than women to develop the condition.

"In other words, men appear to be at higher risk for diabetes."

The researchers analysed data from 51,920 men and 43,137 women in Scotland with diabetes and compared this with BMI rates. They also took into account other factors such as smoking rates, which could also influence the results.

The results showed the mean BMI at diabetes diagnosis in men was 31.83 but 33.69 in women. People with a BMI greater than 30 are classified as obese. The difference in BMIs was most marked at younger ages.

Professor Sattar said the reason why men develop diabetes after gaining less weight than women may be linked to fat distribution.

In general, men carry more fat around their stomach and in their liver than women. This means that women would need to carry a greater amount of total fat than men, to accumulate enough 'harmful' fat around the stomach to develop the same risk of diabetes.

The study findings are published in the journal Diabetologia.

This article was published on Mon 3 October 2011