It does not come as any news that if you are overweight, has a family tendency to it and have a sedentary lifestyle, you are more at risk of developing diabetes. The good news however is, that girls can lower diabetes risk by losing weight before they reach adulthood.
A study conducted by National Institutes of Health and Harvard University came to this conclusion after examining data from 110,000 women collected over 16 years.
The subjects of the study were asked questions about their lifestyle habits, their health and history. They were also asked to describe their body shape as children.
Those women who weighed more at age 5 were seen to be more likely to develop diabetes as adults.
Those surveyed who were obese at age 18 were nine times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than others who were of normal weight at the time.
Interestingly though, the study found that those who were overweight at the age of 10 but were not so as young adults, were not seen as being at higher risk of developing diabetes.
This study therefore shows the importance of maintaining a healthy normal weight during childhood as well, since this can impact the future health of the adult.
