• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Gaining Weight Good for Type 1 Diabetes

Posted on: Monday, 9 June 2008, 15:00 CDT

Gaining body fat may be a good thing -- at least for people with type 1 diabetes -- University of Pittsburgh researchers said.

Researchers tracked 655 patients with type 1 diabetes for 20 years and found that patients who gained weight over time were less likely to die.

The findings are based on participants in the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications Study, which began in 1986.

Participants in the study, an average age of 28 when entering the study and 44 at its completion, were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes between 1950 and 1980. Researchers measured patients' body mass index and waist circumference and assessed BMI every two years during the study period. Over the course of the study, 147 deaths occurred.

Weight gain in adulthood is typically associated with increased mortality, this may not be the case for those with type 1 diabetes, Dr. Trevor Orchard said in a statement.

Gaining a reasonable amount of weight may be a sign patients are getting enough insulin and appropriately controlling their disease, which may partly explain why those who gained weight over time had lower mortality rates.

The findings were presented at the 68th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in San Francisco.

Source: United Press International

More News in this Category