Underweight as a predictor of diabetes in older adults: A large cohort study

Abstract

A total of 39,201 men and 88,012 women aged 40-79 years who underwent health checkups in 1993 and who were free of diabetes were followed until the end of 2004 to examine an association between underweight and risk of diabetes. Incident diabetes was defined by a fasting blood glucose concentration ≥7.0 mmol/l or nonfasting glucose ≥11.1 mmol/l and/or diabetes treatment. The multivariable hazard ratio of diabetes adjusted for age, baseline blood glucose level, fasting status, and other confounding variables among subjects who had a BMI <18.5 kg/m2 compared with those with a BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m 2 was 1.32 (95% CI 1.12-1.56) in men aged 60-79 years and 1.31 (1.07-1.60) in women aged 60-79 years. Underweight may be associated with risk of diabetes among older adults. © 2008 by the American Diabetes Association.