Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use its insulin. This condition can undoubtedly cause blood sugar levels to increase. If not treated immediately, high blood sugar can damage the performance of other body organs such as the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.

In general, there are two types of diabetes, type 1, and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body's immune system attacks the pancreas cells responsible for producing insulin. For this reason, type 1 diabetes is often referred to as autoimmune diabetes. While type 2 diabetes occurs when the body's cells become insensitive to insulin (insulin resistance). This type of diabetes is known to be more common. Several factors can increase the risk of diabetes, such as heredity, lifestyle, age, and a history of health problems such as hypertension and high cholesterol levels in the body.

For type 2 diabetes and the factors previously mentioned, obesity also plays a role in increasing the risk. Not always genetic factors, a person's high body mass index (BMI) is the key to the risk of type 2 diabetes. Reporting from Science Daily, the study results found that a high BMI was the primary key to the risk of type diabetes, regardless of the genetic risk. These results were obtained after the experts conducted an analysis of 445,765 participants recorded in the UK Biobank.

In their study, researchers grouped participants based on their genetic risk and BMI level. During follow-up, 31,298 participants had type 2 diabetes. Disregarding genetic factors, those with higher BMI were found to have an 11-fold higher risk of diabetes than those with a lower BMI. These results suggest that BMI is a much more decisive risk factor than genetics. Researchers explain when a person exceeds the standard limit of their BMI, blood sugar levels in the body will become abnormal. Therefore, maintaining a normal BMI can help keep you from the risk of diabetes.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from: Google Search Images

Source(s):

• Science Daily - Body mass index is a more powerful risk for diabetes than genetics (2020). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200831090129.htm, September 2, 2020.