Maintaining a healthy weight is crucial for reducing cardiovascular risks, especially for individuals with type 2 diabetes. Researchers have now identified the ideal weight for adults with type 2 diabetes to minimize their risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
According to an early press release of the study, diabetes patients under the age of 65 who maintain their body mass index (BMI) between 23 and 25 kg/m² have the least risk of death from cardiovascular disease. However, for those aged 65 and above, maintaining a moderately overweight BMI between 26 and 28 kg/m² is associated with the lowest risk.
"Importantly, we demonstrate that optimal BMI for people with type 2 diabetes varies by age, independent of traditional cardiometabolic risk factors. Our findings suggest that for older individuals who are moderately overweight but not obese, maintaining rather than losing weight may be a more practical way of reducing their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease," lead author Dr. Shaoyong Xu said.
The study will be presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Italy, in May.
To understand the age differences in the association between BMI and risk of cardiovascular death, researchers examined 22,874 adults from UK Biobank who had a previous diagnosis of type 2 diabetes at the time of enrollment.
The participants had an average age of 59 years. They were followed up for nearly 13 years, during which a total of 891 deaths from cardiovascular diseases were reported.
After segregating the participants into two categories — those above 65 years old and those 65 or younger — the researchers investigated how factors like BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio were linked to the risk of cardiovascular death. They then calculated the best BMI threshold after taking into account traditional heart risks and other elements like age, gender, smoking habits, alcohol use, physical activity level, and cardiovascular disease history.
"The analyses found that in the middle-aged group, having a BMI in the overweight range (25 kg/m² to 29.9 kg/m²) was associated with a 13% greater risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those with a BMI in the normal range (less than 25.0 kg/m²). However, in the elderly group, having a BMI in the overweight range (25 kg/m² to 29.9 kg/m²) was associated with an 18% lower risk of dying compared to having a BMI in the normal range (less than 25.0 kg/m²)," the news release stated.
"For the middle-aged group, the optimal BMI cut-off was 24 kg/m², whereas for the elderly group, it was 27 kg/m²," the researchers wrote.
The results also showed a positive relationship between waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio and the risk of cardiovascular death.
Since it is an observational study, the researchers cannot establish causation. Additionally, its limited sample size for cardiovascular events, lack of specific cardiovascular disease details or treatments, and the predominantly White UK Biobank participants may limit its applicability to other ethnic groups.
