A new study has found that people who have some extra pounds and type 2 diabetes appear to live longer than those without the extra pounds. However, they were also more likely to be hospitalized for heart problems.
Usually, the first thing most people who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are told is to lose weight, which is why the results of this study are controversial.
Previous studies of the mortality risks of obesity and diabetes have produced mixed results. This study, conducted by researchers at the University of Hull in the United Kingdom, followed more than 10,500 patients with type 2 diabetes but without heart disease for an average of 11 years. They found that overweight patients were 13% more likely to stay alive than those of normal weight. Underweight patients had three times the mortality rate of normal-weight patients.
However, the obese and overweight patients in the study were more likely to develop heart disease, including heart failure, during the course of the study as compared to patients of normal weight.
Why this paradox exists is not known, but one theory is that type 2 diabetes that results from obesity may be different from diabetes from other causes and possibly is less deadly. Another theory is that obese people are more likely to be tested for diabetes, which means that it is diagnosed and treated earlier. An earlier diagnosis means there is a longer amount of life after the diagnosis than if it were diagnosed later. Another factor is that carrying some extra pounds may protect a person from osteoporosis, which carries significant mortality rates.
This type of paradox has been seen in some studies of cardiovascular disease. Some studies found that overweight people with cardiovascular disease lived longer than patients of normal weight with cardiovascular disease.
The study appeared in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
