Diabetes Health in the News Podcast: Gender Impacts Diabetes Progression Risk Factors

A recent study examined the effects of gender on the progression risk factors of diabetes. This research was completed by looking at the data from about 335 participants – both male and female. All participants had prediabetes and were grouped by their activity level. Researchers also gathered baseline data regarding cholesterol, triglyceride, and HbA1c levels.

At a 10-year follow-up, 48% of the participants still had prediabetes, 29.3% had developed diabetes, and 22.5% had returned to the normal regulation of glucose. It was found that among female participants, the biggest predictor of returning to normal glucose regulation was a reduction in waist circumference, while the largest predictor among men was an increase in activity level.

These findings were published in the BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care on May 10, 2016.