Female obesity before diabetes a heart risk
30 August 2002
Women who put on weight before being diagnosed with diabetes are at higher risk of dying from heart disease than those who got fat post diagnosis, the Nurses' Health Study has shown.
Women who had become obese seemed to have a greater risk than those who had always been overweight, but weight gain after the diagnosis of diabetes did not greatly affect the risk (Diabetes Care 2002;25:1142-8).
Data also showed that the larger the body mass index (BMI), the greater the risk.
This prospective study included 5897 nurses with type II diabetes. During 20 years of follow up, 418 of these women developed coronary heart disease resulting in 182 deaths. Compared with nurses who had BMI less than 23, those with a BMI of at least 35 had treble the risk of heart disease.
Last Reviewed: 26 August 2002
- 1. Medical Observer Weekly 30/8/02
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