Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Study counters 'obesity paradox' for diabetics - Philly.com

Check Up: Study counters 'obesity paradox' for diabetics - Philly.com: Now, Harvard University researchers have weighed in on the "obesity paradox" with a study that concludes diabetics who are too heavy get no survival benefit. On the contrary, the heavier the diabetic, the likelier an early death.

"These data dispel the notion that being overweight or obese confers a survival advantage among diabetics," said Frank B. Hu, a Harvard professor of nutrition and epidemiology. Hu's team carefully accounted for the diabetics' smoking status, because smokers tend to be thinner but have higher death rates. They also calculated the body mass index - a ratio of weight to height - shortly before diabetes diagnosis.

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