Obesity and metabolic abnormalities in offspring of subjects with diabetes mellitus.

Background: Some recent studies observed that a number of obese children had family members with type 2 diabetes. The aim of the present study was to assess prevalence of obesity and metabolic abnormalities among offspring of subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods: Children of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were studied. Detailed medical history, physical examination, hemogram, renal and liver function tests, lipid profile, body composition, and oral glucose tolerance tests were done for all subjects. Plasma insulin was also done in addition to glucose at 0, 30, 60, and 120 min after oral glucose.

Results: A total of 355 subjects from 208 families (194 males [55%] and 161 females [45%], mean age 23 +/- 11 years) were studied. Among them, 209 (58.9%) were lean, 91 (25.6%) were overweight, and 55 (15.5%) were obese. Seventeen (4.8%) subjects had impaired fasting glucose, 29 (8.2%) had impaired glucose tolerance, and 10 (2.8) had diabetes mellitus. Twenty (35.7%) of 56 with abnormal glucose tolerance were lean. One hundred six (29.8%) subjects had triglyceride levels greater than 150 mg/dL, 137 (38.6%) had low levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and 67 (18.9%) had high total cholesterol levels. Prevalence of obesity, elevated plasma triglyceride, and glucose intolerance was higher among older subjects and subjects both of whose parents had diabetes.

Conclusions: Children from families with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk for obesity. Risk increases by fivefold when both parents have diabetes.