Study Increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular problems even with a slim figure

One in five slender is at increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease
According to health experts, overweight people are at an increased risk for sequelae such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. However, many slim people also run the risk of getting such diseases. Researchers have now found that this has to do with a malfunction in fat storage.

Not only overweight people are at risk
More recently, scientists from the UK reported that being overweight at an early age can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is also known that being overweight is a risk factor for diabetes. But almost every fifth slim person has an increased risk of developing so-called diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Researchers have now found that the sufferers have a malfunction in the fat storage, so they hardly accumulate fat on the thigh.

Not only overweight but also many lean people are at increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Researchers have now found the reason. (Image: sabine hürdler / fotolia.com)

The rule of thumb Slim is healthy is not always valid
Slim is healthy - this rule of thumb is not always valid. Meta-analyzes of studies have shown that there is a subgroup (just under 20 percent) of lean people with a damaged metabolism, reports Helmholtz Zentrum München in a statement.

Their cardiovascular and mortality risk is more than tripled compared to metabolically healthy individuals. It is even higher than that of metabolically healthy overweight people.

But what are the causes for this? What makes this subgroup different from the slender, metabolically healthy people? Which phenotypical peculiarities do the affected persons have??

Scientists of the Medical Clinic IV of the University Hospital of the University of Tübingen and of the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Zentrum München at the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, a member of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), answered these questions..

Slim subjects with damaged metabolism
They examined the data of 981 subjects and came here to similar results as in the meta-analysis - about 18 percent of the slender subjects had a damaged metabolism.

The subjects showed two or more risk parameters for a metabolic syndrome (abdominal obesity, hypertension, lipid metabolism disorder with hypertriglyceridemia and decreased HDL cholesterol, insulin resistance or impaired glucose tolerance).

The team led by Norbert Stefan, Fritz Schick and Hans-Ulrich Häring examined body fat, fat distribution and fat content in the liver using magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

They report on their results in the journal "Cell Metabolism".

Little fat on the legs
It turned out that those affected save only a little fat on the legs. Those affected have a phenotype similar to that of people with lipodystrophy, a change in subcutaneous fatty tissue.

The researchers also investigated insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion, blood vessels and physical fitness. Again, abnormalities were evident.

"However, in the case of slim, the missing fat on the legs is most associated with a risk of unhealthy metabolism. One can therefore also say, 'hip gold' keeps slim healthy, "summarizes Prof. Norbert Stefan the results together.

By comparison, in overweight people, non-alcoholic fatty liver and increased belly fat are the biggest risk factors for metabolic derangement.

The scientists suggest that lean individuals who have two or more metabolic syndrome features and hardly store any fat on the legs are carefully screened for possible metabolic damage.

It would be important to develop tailored lifestyle interventions or specific medical treatments for personalized prevention for the various subgroups of lean and overweight people with metabolic disorders. (Ad)