MOST of us aren’t the same size we were at 21 years of age.
And now an expert has warned it could be putting your risk of a serious health condition, even if you are still a “healthy weight”.
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Professor Roy Taylor from Newcastle University said: “As a rule of thumb, your waist size should be the same now as when you were 21.
“If you can’t get into the same size trousers now, you are carrying too much fat and therefore at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even if you aren’t overweight.”
Type 2 diabetes is linked to obesity.
But it’s not just those who are obese who are at risk – those who are a larger dress size than their younger years could be too.
One example is a woman whose dress size is 14 when compared to 10 or 12 previously, or a male whose waist measurement is 36 inches as opposed to 32.
Prof Taylor warned these people that they could be putting their health at risk by their changes.
But, just because you have a bigger body than in your 20s doesn’t mean that you will develop type 2 diabetes.
Around 10 per cent of people with type 2 diabetes have a BMI that puts them in the “healthy” range, according to Diabetes UK.
Professor Taylor stated that it could be dangerous if doctors rule out the possibility of their condition being caused by weight gain.
He said: “Doctors tend to assume that type 2 diabetes has a different cause in those who aren’t overweight.
“This means that, unlike those who are overweight, those who are of normal weight aren’t usually advised to lose weight before being given diabetes drugs and insulin.
“Instead, there’s a tendency to start them on insulin and other medication at a much earlier stage.”
Reversal is possible
At a leading diabetes conference, Prof Taylor presented data on a small study of people of a normal weight with type 2 diabetes.
The participants in the study all had the condition despite having a “normal” body mass index (BMI), with an average of 24.5 – considered “healthy” by the NHS.
The study found that people of normal weight with type 2 diabetes can “achieve remission” by losing weight.
Prof Taylor said that eight in 12 people managed to “get rid” of their condition, meaning they no longer needed medication to manage their blood sugar levels.
The participants managed to reduce the levels of fat in the liver and pancreas, and the activity of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas was deemed to be “restored”.
“What we’ve shown is that if those of normal weight lose 10-15 per cent of their weight, they have a very good chance of getting rid of their diabetes,” Prof Taylor spoke.
For two weeks, the participants were restricted to 800 calories per day and limited intake of liquids like soups and shakes.
They were then supported for up to six weeks to keep their weight down.
They went through three rounds of the program until they lost 10-15% of their bodyweight.
Fatty liver to blame
Prof Taylor, who presented the findings at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, said: “These results, while preliminary, demonstrate very clearly that diabetes is not caused by obesity but by being too heavy for your own body.
“It’s due to having too much fat in your liver and pancreas, whatever your BMI.
“In the liver, this excess fat prevents insulin from working normally. In the pancreas, it causes the beta cells to stop producing insulin.”
Experts say that being slim or having a normal BMI does not mean that a person is healthy inside.
Fat is often referred to as the extra fat under the skin. People who appear to be lighter may store excess fat in areas that can cause harm to their health.
Fat gets into the liver via the bloodstream in a “spillover” when there is not enough room in fat stores, said Dr Ahmad Al-Mrabeh, the study’s first author and co-investigator.
He said weight loss by calorie restriction “is powerful in achieving remission of type 2 diabetes” and the findings were “remarkable”.
Dr Lucy Chambers, Head Research Communications at Diabetes UK, stated that the charity hopes the NHS will consider the findings.
“It is hoped that these findings, if positive, could eventually widen access to the NHS programmes for type 2 remission,” She added.
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