Minorities are more likely to have type 2 diabetes – even at lower weights

Being overweight or obese is a well-known risk factor for type 2 diabetes, but a new Kaiser Permanente study shows that this risk can vary widely depending on your race and ethnicity.

The study, which included 4.9 million people from diverse backgrounds and geographies, showed that racial and ethnic minority groups were much more likely to have diabetes or prediabetes at lower weights – even at normal or below-normal body mass index (BMI). For example, normal-weight Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders were 3 times more likely to have diabetes than normal-weight white people. The results also differed by sex. Asians, Hispanics and Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, specifically women, had a higher prevalence of prediabetes at lower BMIs than other groups.

This study is one of the largest to examine the relationship between BMI and type 2 diabetes and prediabetes prevalence. The findings demonstrate the importance of careful screening for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, even at body weights that are considered normal.