A Baylor College of Medicine-led study suggests returning to a normal body mass index may reduce the likelihood of children and adults at increased risk of type 1 diabetes progressing to the disease, highlighting the potential benefits of weight management.
A new Baylor College of Medicine-led study suggests that children and adults at increased risk of type 1 diabetes may be less likely to progress to the disease if their body mass index returns to the normal range. Published in Diabetes Care, the observational research followed 833 people who already had islet autoantibodies, a sign that the immune system has begun attacking insulin-producing cells.
The findings are important because type 1 diabetes can be identified years before symptoms appear, and in some cases a treatment can now delay its onset. María Redondo, the study’s lead author and a professor of paediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, said the disease is an autoimmune condition in which the body destroys the pancreas’s insulin-producing islet cells, raising the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis and, over time, complications affecting the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels.
Over about four years of follow-up, roughly 27% of participants moved from the overweight or obese range into a normal BMI range. Those who did had about a 48% lower risk of developing clinical type 1 diabetes than people who remained overweight or obese, according to the study. The association was strongest in younger participants, especially boys under 12 and girls aged 12 to 17.
The result does not prove that lowering BMI prevents type 1 diabetes, and the authors stressed that the study shows association rather than causation. Even so, the findings add to previous research linking higher BMI with faster progression towards the disease and strengthen the case for a prospective trial to test whether healthier weight trajectories can delay onset, particularly in children and teenagers.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
