Research

Mixed

Elevated BMI (overweight and obesity) is associated with a significantly increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus and its complications (cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, renal, ocular, and lower extremity) in US older adults, with risk increasing progressively as BMI rises.

For older adults, maintaining a healthy weight is crucial to prevent diabetes and its complications. Even being slightly overweight (BMI 25-27.49) increases the risk, especially for women. Weight management through diet and physical activity can help delay or prevent the onset of diabetes and its associated health issues.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Having even moderately elevated BMI is associated with increased risk of developing DM complications.
Natallia Gray et al. · Southern Medical Journal · 2015

Why this rating

Large longitudinal study (N=14,657) with long follow-up, but relies on self-reported height/weight.

Source

Relation between BMI and Diabetes Mellitus and Its Complications among US Older Adults

Natallia Gray et al. · Southern Medical Journal · 2015

DOI 10.14423/smj.0000000000000214

cohort · n=14657Cited 275×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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