Researchers examined data from study participants who were overweight and diabetic during the course of the studydeveloped diabetes. Thus, an increase in the risk of microvascular complications in type 2 diabetes was observed due to a higher body mass index before diagnosis. The results suggest that obesity and weight gain can lead to vascular disorders. This is the leading cause of illness and death in people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of fat burning in obesity and diabetes
Successful weight loss is considered an integral part of therapy for type 2 diabetes. Nevertheless, studies continue to emerge that question the importance of losing weight. However, new data from a large-scale observational study carried out at the DIfE in collaboration with the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) supports the doctors' current recommendations. So weight plays a crucial role in the development of type 2 diabetes. However, little research has been conducted regarding this relationship. Whether and how obesity and weight changes lead to late complications in type 2 diabetes is an important topic. In particular, there has been a lack of studies that provide comparative data between microvascular and macrovascular diseases. Microvascular diseases affect the small blood vessels and can cause irreversible damage to the kidneys, nerves and eyes. Accordingly, this can lead to dialysis, amputation and blindness. Macrovascular injuries, on the other hand, affect the large blood vessels and can cause heart attack or stroke.
The research team examined whether body mass index before and after a type 2 diabetes diagnosis is associated with the occurrence of such complications. For this purpose, the scientists observed around 1,000 test subjects with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes over a period of ten years. These were free of other chronic diseases. The researchers did not find a clear connection between BMI and the occurrence of macrovascular complications. However, the situation was different for microvascular complications. The results suggest that obesity can disrupt the function of the smallest blood vessels, arterioles and capillaries. Doctors routinely recommend that overweight and obese people with type 2 diabetes lose at least five percent of their body weight to improve their metabolism. For a person weighing 80 kilograms, this means a loss of four kilograms. Weight loss can lead to improvements in blood pressure, blood lipid levels, and blood sugar levels.
Study results
The data obtained confirm the recommendations for weight management. The greater the weight loss after diagnosis, the lower the risk of microvascular complications. If subjects instead gain weight, the risk also increases, the study authors said about the results. In their observational study, the researchers provide a nuanced look at how obesity can promote late complications in type 2 diabetes. Although they did not find a clear link between obesity and diabetes in macrovascular complications, the results arethis studyand the data for microvascular complications are quite clear. Thus, this highlights the importance of weight loss in preventing severe complications caused by diabetes.
