Obesity and Diabetes: A Complex Connection

Abstract

Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus are closely interconnected global epidemics driven by shared metabolic, environmental, and socioeconomic factors. Excess adiposity promotes insulin resistance through adipose tissue dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and ectopic fat deposition, ultimately contributing to β-cell failure and hyperglycemia. Pregnancy represents a unique metabolic state in which physiological insulin resistance may unmask underlying metabolic vulnerability, increasing risks of gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Maternal obesity and diabetes also contribute to long-term cardiometabolic risk and the intergenerational transmission of metabolic disease. Integrated strategies emphasizing preconception care, lifestyle interventions, optimized glycemic management, and coordinated postpartum cardiometabolic follow-up are critical to improving maternal and offspring health outcomes.