Metabolic BMI can predict the risk of type 2 diabetes in normal weight patients

Up to 20 percent of type 2 diabetes patients are of normal weight, and it is important to identify individuals in this group that are at risk. An international team of researchers in a recent study has investigated whether it is possible to identify them by measuring the levels of some of the metabolites that are relevant for metabolism. It was identified that a group of individuals with regular BMI who nonetheless had metabolic alterations associated with obesity in their metabolism. the study is published in Diabetes Care.

The researchers measured the levels of 108 metabolites associated with diabetes in blood samples of 7663 participants in three different population-based cohorts. The participants were divided into five different groups based on their metabolic BMI. Individuals with a metabolic BMI five BMI units higher than their BMI based on height and weight were investigated further.

Researchers concluded that this will be used to identify individuals with a hidden risk of developing the disease. If they can find these individuals before the disease debuts, they would be able to initiate preventive actions. This could potentially save society a lot of money as type 2 diabetes often leads to a variety of different complications.