A study by Cameron et al indicated that in the United States between 2013 and 2016, obesity was responsible for the development of new-onset diabetes in 41% of adults. The highest attributable rate of obesity-related diabetes was among non-Hispanic White women (53%); non-Hispanic Black men demonstrated the lowest rate, with the attributable fraction being 30%.

A study by Abdullah et al indicated that not only the severity of a patient’s obesity but its duration as well is associated with the individual’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Based on a more than four-decade follow-up of 5132 participants in the Framingham Offspring Study, the investigators found a significant rise in type 2 diabetes risk as obese-years increased.

The research indicates that the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes is not the same in all persons with overweight or obesity, with some of these individuals being genetically inclined toward an adiposity profile that lowers their chances for the disease. Fourteen genetic variants have been identified that investigators say lead to subcutaneous storage of excess fat rather than accumulation of the fat around organs such as the liver, thus reducing the diabetes risk.