Duration of obesity and overweight and risk of type 2 diabetes among US women

Obesity (Silver Spring). 2014 Oct;22(10):2267-73. doi: 10.1002/oby.20851. Epub 2014 Jul 31.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between duration of adiposity and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in US women.

Methods: Nearly 61,821 participants were prospectively followed from the Nurses' Health Study (1984-2008) and 63,653 participants from Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2011). Participants were considered overweight (BMI 25-30 kg m(-2) ) or obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg m(-2) ) if their BMI was above the cutoffs for two successive assessments. The time-dependent Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess associations between excess weight duration and T2D risk.

Results: In pooled multivariable analyses of the two cohorts, each two extra years of being overweight was associated with 9% (RR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.08-1.09) increased risk of developing T2D. For each 2-year increment in obesity duration, the risk of T2D was increased by 14% (RR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.14-1.15). Adjustment for current BMI greatly attenuated the association for obesity duration (RR = 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03), although the attenuation was less for overweight duration (RR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.04-1.05).

Conclusions: Both overweight and obesity duration were associated with a significantly higher risk of T2D, and these associations were mainly explained by current BMI, especially for obesity duration.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Body Mass Index
  • Body Weight / physiology
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / epidemiology*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / etiology*
  • Disease Progression
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Nurses / statistics & numerical data
  • Obesity / complications*
  • Obesity / epidemiology*
  • Overweight / complications
  • Overweight / epidemiology*
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Risk Factors
  • Time Factors
  • United States / epidemiology