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Weight change and risk of hyperglycaemia in elderly women

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Abstract

Background

Hyperglycaemia increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and is influenced by weight. However, the impact of preceding weight change on blood glycemia levels in late-life is less well understood.

Aim

We studied the interplay between weight change and risk of hyperglycaemia in a prospective cohort of elderly women.

Methods

Elderly Caucasian women (age: 67.1 years at baseline, n = 1173) enrolled in the Prospective Epidemiological Risk Factor study with baseline and 13-year follow-up measurements of BMI and fasting glucose levels (FPG) and no previous history of diabetes or impaired fasting glucose. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine risk of hyperglycaemia (FPG ≥ 5.6 mmol/L or HbA1c ≥ 42 mmol/mol) in normalweight (BMI ≤ 25 kg/m2), overweight (BMI = 25–29.9 kg/m2) and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) women who either lost weight, were weight-stable or had gained weight at follow-up.

Results

Overweight and obese elderly women who had gained weight at follow-up presented an increased risk of hyperglycaemia, OR = 2.7 (1.6–4.6) and OR = 3.2 (1.5–6.8), compared to weight-stable normalweight women. Overweight and obese women who lost weight decreased their risk of hyperglycaemia to a level comparable to weight-stable normalweight women. Overweight and obese women with stable weight presented a two-fold increased risk of hyperglycaemia compared to normalweight weight-stable women.

Conclusions

Losing weight in late life had a positive effect on the risk of hyperglycaemia in overweight and obese women, while further, weight gain increased the risk of hyperglycaemia. The study highlights that strategies to reduce weight in obese and overweight elderly women could have a positive influence on disease burden in late-life.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Danish Research Foundation (Den Danske Forskningsfond) for funding of the Prospective Epidemiological Risk Factor (PERF) study. The foundation had no role in study design, data interpretation, or submission of this manuscript.

Author contributions

KD has done the literature search, statistical analysis, figures, data interpretation, and writing. JSN helped with data interpretation and writing, CC was responsible for study design and provided scientific advice, MK helped with data interpretation and scientific advice, SB and KH contributed to the data interpretation, writing and with scientific advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nordic Bioscience A/S, Herlev Hovedgade 205-207, 2730, Herlev, Denmark

    Katrine Dragsbæk, Jesper S. Neergaard, Claus Christiansen, Morten A. Karsdal & Kim Henriksen

  2. Department of Bioengineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark

    Katrine Dragsbæk, Jesper S. Neergaard & Susanne Brix

  3. Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark

    Henning Beck-Nielsen

Authors
  1. Katrine Dragsbæk
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  2. Jesper S. Neergaard
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  3. Claus Christiansen
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  4. Morten A. Karsdal
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  5. Henning Beck-Nielsen
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  6. Susanne Brix
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  7. Kim Henriksen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katrine Dragsbæk.

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Conflict of interest

CC serves as a board member and stock owner in Nordic Bioscience. MK and KH hold stocks in Nordic Bioscience. KD, JSN, SB, and HBN have nothing to declare.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Dragsbæk, K., Neergaard, J.S., Christiansen, C. et al. Weight change and risk of hyperglycaemia in elderly women. Aging Clin Exp Res 29, 1095–1104 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0696-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0696-1

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