A Study Of Body Mass Index In Healthy Individuals And Its Relationship With Fasting Blood Sugar

摘要

Background and objectives: Obesity is a global epidemic and is on the rise. It is defined as a body mass index (BMI) which is equal to or more than 30. It is one of the modifiable risk factors of type 2 diabetes. This study was undertaken to assess the association between BMI and fasting blood sugar (FBS) and also to verify whether BMI increases with age. Subjects and Methods: This prospective study included 400 healthy adult individuals who met the inclusion criteria. Fasting blood samples were collected to measure FBS by the glucose oxidase method. Thirty individuals were excluded from the study, as their blood glucose levels were in the diabetic range. Results: Among 370 individuals, a positive correlation was observed (Pearson?s correlation coefficient r = + 0.26) between BMI and FBS. There was a stepwise increase in the magnitude of BMI with an increase in age in decades. Although the increase in mean FBS was observed with age, a statistically significant (p = 0.00093) increase in mean FBS was observed only in the 4th decade of life. Interpretation and conclusions: The observed positive correlation between BMI and FBS reiterates the diabetogenic effect of adipose tissue and emphasizes the importance of the maintenance of normal BMI to prevent the early onset of diabetes.