If you think your weight is normal and you can’t get diabetes, you need to change your mindset. An international medical study has revealed that excess body fat combined with sarcopenic obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by more than three and a half times. Health experts in Delhi-NCR have advised local residents to focus on muscle strength rather than just weight loss.

Diabetes Prevention: New Delhi doctors warn that not just weight, muscle damage increases the risk by 3.5 times.

Diabetes Care Journal report: Challenging common perceptions of weight

The findings, published in the renowned medical journal “Diabetes Care,” are startling. Sarcopenic obesity is characterized by excessive accumulation of body fat and a corresponding decrease in skeletal muscle mass and function. According to the study, patients with this condition had a 19% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those with obesity alone. Meanwhile, those with normal weight but severe muscle weakness (sarcopenia) had a 91% higher risk.

For this study, data from 479,607 people from the UK Biobank who initially did not have diabetes were analyzed. Researchers monitored these people for more than 14 years. During this period, approximately 32,950 people developed diabetes. Experts say this condition is rapidly increasing in urban areas of developing countries like India, where people are losing weight in the gym but are losing their muscles due to lack of proper protein diet.

Statement from the lead researcher and local experts

According to senior doctors at AIIMS, New Delhi, one in three patients attending local outpatient departments (OPDs) has a “thin-fat” phenotype. This means that patients appear thin or normal weight externally, but internally have a high fat percentage and very low muscle mass.

Impact on citizens: What changes are necessary now?

Following this report, local health departments and fitness centers need to revise their guidelines. If you’re trying to lose weight solely through cardio (running or cycling), be cautious. Doctors recommend three key changes for city residents:

• Don’t rely solely on a weighing machine; go to a good diagnostic center and get a Body Composition Analysis (BCA) done to determine your exact fat and muscle mass.
• Do strength training or resistance exercises (weight-bearing exercises) at least twice a week to keep your muscles strong.
• Reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your daily diet and include locally available protein sources like lentils, paneer, tofu and eggs.