Higher Type 2 Diabetes Rates in US than UK might be Attributed to Greater Level of Mid-section Fat

According to a study, excess fat around the mid-section is a health risk. The American and British researchers advised that studies of Type 2 Diabetes to concentrate on waist size along with traditional risk factors.

The study revealed that 16% and 14% of American men and women have Diabetes, respectively as compared 11% and 7% of men and women in England, respectively. To know the reason behind the difference, researchers analyzed studies about the health and lifestyles of people in the US and England. However, they found no association between higher Diabetes rates in the United States and conventional risk factors such as age, smoking, socioeconomic status, or BMI.

But, they observed that American men's waists were an average of 3 centimeters (1.5 inches) larger than those of men in England. And American women's waists were an average of 5 centimeters (2 inches) larger than those of women in England.

In addition, women in America were much more likely than women in England to have a higher risk of Diabetes because of their waist size (69% versus 56%), while American men had only a slightly higher waist size-related Diabetes risk than their counterparts in England.

The study co-author James P. Smith concluded, “Americans carry more fat around their middle sections than the English, and that was the single factor that explained most of the higher rates of diabetes seen in the United States, especially among American women. Waist size is the missing new risk factor we should be studying.”