Obesity in Adolescence Raises Risk for Adult Type 1 Diabetes
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Obesity in adolescence is linked to an increased risk for type 1 diabetes onset in adulthood, new research suggests. These new data, from Israeli military recruits followed for over a decade, suggest that obesity may be playing a causal role in type 1 as well as type 2 diabetes. The incidence of type 1 diabetes has been increasing by about 2%-3% annually over recent decades, but the reasons aren't clear. The study is the first to examine the role of obesity in adolescence and type 1 diabetes in young adulthood, and also the first to examine the question of using antibody status as part of the criteria for a type 1 diagnosis.
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@prabir In addition to countering the long-held belief that type 1 diabetes is primarily a condition of thin individuals and unrelated to obesity, the data also reinforce the emerging recognition that type 1 diabetes isn't always "juvenile" and in fact often arises in adulthood.