Research

Mixed

Higher BMI categories (overweight and obese classes I-III) are significantly associated with increased odds of suboptimal glycemic control (HbA1c ≥7%) in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes patients, independent of medication use and comorbidities.

If you have diabetes, maintaining a healthy weight is critical for keeping your blood sugar in range. This study shows that being overweight or obese significantly increases your odds of having high HbA1c levels, even if you are taking your medications. For Type 1 diabetics, this is partly because insulin therapy can cause weight gain, and for Type 2 diabetics, excess weight directly impacts glucose metabolism. Focus on weight management as a core part of your diabetes treatment plan, not just an aesthetic goal.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
For both T1DM and T2DM patients, there were positive and statistically significant associations between being overweight or obese and having suboptimal glycemic control.
Jay Bae et al. · Journal of Diabetes and its Complications · 2015

Why this rating

Large sample size (N=262,595) and rigorous statistical controls, but observational design limits causal inference.

Source

Obesity and glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus: Analysis of physician electronic health records in the US from 2009–2011

Jay Bae et al. · Journal of Diabetes and its Complications · 2015

DOI 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2015.11.016

cohort · n=262595Cited 136×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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