Obesity, overweight can lead to diabetes: Study

VARSITY EXAMINES WEIGHTY PROBLEM

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Overweight and obese people have a higher chance of developing diabetes, but the exact mechanism is not well understood.

A new study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis may help explain how excess weight can contribute to diabetes and may provide researchers with a target to help prevent or delay diabetes in some of those at risk. The findings suggest that many people with elevated levels of insulin -- an early marker of diabetes risk also have defects in an enzyme important to the processing of a key fatty acid from the diet.

The research is published on Jan 11 in the journal Cell Metabolism.