Diabetes Metab J.  2014 Feb;38(1):74-80. 10.4093/dmj.2014.38.1.74.

Women Are Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes at Higher Body Mass Indices and Older Ages than Men: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2010

• Kwon SK

• KMID: 2174188
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2014.38.1.74

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Many epidemiologic studies have shown that women with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared with men with diabetes. The aim of this study is to elucidate whether disparities of adiposity, age and insulin resistance (IR) at the time of diabetes diagnosis exist between women and men in the adult Korean population.
METHODS
Data from The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, performed in Korea from 2007 to 2010, were used. In the survey, anthropometric data and blood samples were obtained during a fasting state. IR and beta-cell function were calculated using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR and HOMA-beta, respectvely).
RESULTS
The mean age of diabetes diagnosis was 58.5 years in women and was 55.1 years in men (P=0.015). The mean body mass index (BMI) of newly diagnosed diabetes subjects was 26.1 kg/m2 in women and 25.0 kg/m2 in men (P=0.001). The BMI was inversely related to age in both genders, and the higher BMI in women than men was consistent throughout all age groups divided by decade. The HOMA-IR in women with diabetes is higher than in men with diabetes (7.25+/-0.77 vs. 5.20+/-0.32; P=0.012).
CONCLUSION
Korean adult women are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at higher BMI and older age than men and are more insulin-resistant at the time of diabetes diagnosis. This may help explain why women with diabetes have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease after the diagnosis of diabetes, compared to men.

Keyword

Adiposity; Cardiovascular diseases; Diabetes; Insulin resistance; Korea

MeSH Terms

Adiposity
Adult
Body Mass Index
Cardiovascular Diseases
Diagnosis
Epidemiologic Studies
Fasting
Female
Homeostasis
Humans
Insulin Resistance
Korea*
Male
Nutrition Surveys*

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Selection and enrollment of study subjects. KNHANES, Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; CR, creatinine; AST/ALT, aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase; M, male; F, female.

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  Fig. 2 Distribution of mean (A) body mass index (BMI), (B) waist circumference, and (C) whole body fat content by age group at the diagnosis of diabetes. The solid lines represent data for men, and dotted lines represent data for women. Vertical bars reveal standard error around the mean.

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  Fig. 3 Distribution of mean age of newly diagnosed diabetes by body mass index (BMI) group. The solid line indicates the mean age at diagnosis of diabetes in men, and the dotted line represents the mean age of diagnosis in women. Vertical bars represent standard error around the mean. Across BMI groups, the average diagnostic ages of diabetes are higher in women than men.

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