Diabetes and not obesity to be blamed for early deaths

A new study has revealed that diabetes, and not obesity poses a risk of developing critical illnesses and an early death. Diabetes often develops in people with high Body Mass Index (BMI) and is considered to be a factor for organ failure and death.

"There are several studies out there showing worse outcomes for people with higher BMIs," study co-author Dr. David M. Mannino, from the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, said. "Surprisingly, most of the studies really didn't look at how diabetes entered into the picture."

The research found that diabetics are three times more likely to develop critical illness and die young than those who do not have diabetes. In the absence of diabetes, obese individuals do not have an increased risk of suffering from acute organ failure, and of dying young from it but both obese and non-obese people who do not have diabetes have the same risk of falling critically ill and dying.

The relationship between obesity, diabetes and critical illness has been said to be complex, but the authors insist that very poor health is not the outcome of obesity on its own.

The researches concluded: "Our findings suggest that obesity by itself is not a significant predictor of either acute organ failure or death during or after acute organ failure in this cohort. However, the presence of diabetes, which is related to obesity, is a strong predictor of both acute organ failure and death after acute organ failure."

Zoe Harrison, care advisor at the charity Diabetes UK, said most people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were overweight. "This research clearly highlights how serious diabetes can be. The complications of diabetes include strokes, kidney damage, amputations, nerve damage and blindness. However it is worth bearing in mind that at the time of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, 80 per cent of people are overweight."