The risk factors are not all the same. In particular, obesity increases the chances of getting type 2 diabetes to a greater extent than other risk factors, such as lifestyle and genetics. These are the conclusions reached by a team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen, who monitored the health conditions of a sample of 9,556 subjects. The study lasted 14 years, during which half of the group developed type 2 diabetes. At the end of the observation period, the results showed a high correlation between obesity and risk of getting sick. Even genetics and unhealthy lifestyles (smoking and / or sedentary life in the first place) have a role in the onset of the disease, but less. In numerical terms, if a bad lifestyle raises the probability of getting sick by 20%, and genetics increases it by two times, obese people run a six times greater risk than normal weight.
The data collected in the study were presented in Barcelona, where the congress of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes took place, and confirm the importance of a correct and balanced diet starting from a young age: in fact, according to another study presented at the congress, the percentage of young people who fall ill with type 2 diabetes has been growing since the beginning of the century.
Prevention, once more, starts from the choices made at the supermarket.
