Research

Mixed

Higher Body Mass Index (BMI) is positively correlated with an increased risk of developing type II diabetes, with risk increasing significantly at BMI >35 kg/m2 and at lower BMI thresholds for South Asian, Black, and Chinese populations compared to White individuals.

If you have a family history of diabetes or belong to high-risk ethnic groups (South Asian, Black, Chinese), do not rely on BMI alone to assess your risk. Even a 'normal' BMI (e.g., 24-26) may carry higher diabetes risk for you than for a White individual with a BMI of 30. Prioritize waist circumference measurements and regular blood glucose screening over weight alone.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
The research revealed that those with a BMI greater than 35 kg/m2 had an increased risk of developing type II diabetes compared to those with BMI’s lower than 23 kg/m2... the chance of developing diabetes increases at lower BMI values in South Asian individuals (24kg/m2), Black individuals (26kg/m2), and Chinese individuals (25kg/m2) compared to White individuals (30kg/m2).
Deepesh Khanna et al. · Cureus · 2022

Why this rating

Based on multiple large-scale longitudinal studies (Chan et al., Satman et al., Chiu et al.) with tens of thousands of participants.

Source

Body Mass Index (BMI): A Screening Tool Analysis

Deepesh Khanna et al. · Cureus · 2022

DOI 10.7759/cureus.22119

narrative_reviewCited 234×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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