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Adiposity (high BMI) is a robust, convincing risk factor for increased Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) incidence, supported by meta-analyses of observational studies and Mendelian randomization.

Maintaining a healthy body weight is one of the most powerful ways to prevent Type 2 Diabetes. The evidence is extremely strong: higher BMI directly correlates with a significantly higher risk of developing the disease. Focus on sustainable lifestyle changes that support a healthy weight, as this is a primary lever for T2DM prevention.

StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
Adiposity... presented robust evidence for increased risk of T2DM.
Vanesa Bellou et al. · PLoS ONE · 2018

Why this rating

Graded as 'convincing' based on >1,000 cases, P < 10^-6, no large heterogeneity, and 95% PI excluding null.

Source

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus: An exposure-wide umbrella review of meta-analyses

Vanesa Bellou et al. · PLoS ONE · 2018

DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0194127

Meta-analysis · 86 studiesCited 715×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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