Breaking Health Study Finds Extra Weight Ideal for Type 1 Diabetics

Usually when a person has diabetes, one of there main concerns is body weight. Most diabetes strive to keep off and maintain their weight constantly.

However according to HealthDay News, a new research, conducted by a health team at the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, has found that a little extra weight could possibly be connected with better coronary health for those with type 1 diabetes. This is considered a breaking health find.

The health team stated that people with diabetes are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease at a much younger age than those without diabetes. In fact, heart disease and other complications of the cardiovascular system are the top killers amongst diabetics of all ages, reported HealthDay News.

On the other hand, the situation is different for those with the genetically passed type 1 diabetes. Dr. Trevor Orchard, professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, said, "Gaining weight may reflect good or better treatment with insulin therapy, which may partly explain why participants who gained weight over time [in the study] had lower mortality rates."

According to HealthDay News, the University of Pittsburgh study was conducted with 315 patients with type 1 diabetes. The study took 18 years, beginning in 1986. Patients underwent CT scans often and had their waist circumference, abdominal fat, body mass index, and amount of fat underneath the skin checked regularly.

The study found that the more fat in general a person had, the more likely they were to suffer from coronary artery complications and build up. Of those who had the complications, those with more fat had less severe symptoms and complications, said HealthDay News.

Dr. Orchard said of the study, "This is not a firm recommendation to people with type 1 diabetes to put on weight, but it does raise the possibility that weight recommendations in type 1 diabetes may be somewhat different than those for the general population, and emphasizes the complex relationship between body fat and cardiovascular risk in diabetes."