“Men appear to be at higher risk for diabetes”

According to a new study, men who put on excess weight are putting themselves at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The research found that men do not need to put on as much weight as women in order to develop type 2 diabetes. The research was carried out by a team from the University of Glasgow, who said this may explain why in many parts of the world, diabetes rates are higher among males.

"Previous research has indicated that middle-aged men are at a higher risk of developing diabetes than women and one possible explanation is that men have to gain less weight than women to develop the condition.

“In other words, men appear to be at higher risk for diabetes," explained lead researcher, Prof Naveed Sattar, of the University of Glasgow.

The study looked at almost 52,000 men and over 43,000 whom all had diabetes, and measurements, such as height and weight, were recorded. Factors such as smoking and age were also taken into account.

The study found that men were more likely to develop the disease if their BMI (body mass index) was 31.8 while for women it was 33.6. "The results from this research confirm our hypothesis that men have to gain less weight to develop diabetes," Prof Sattar explained.

The researchers believe this may be down to how fat is distributed around the body. According to Irish Health, men tend to carry more visceral or intra-abdominal fat, which is located deep under the muscle tissue in the abdomen and is considered a more dangerous type of fat. Women on the other hand tend to carry more ‘safe' subcutaneous fat.