▲ Professor Eun Hee Koh is consulting a diabetic patient with abdominal obesity
Recent research has unveiled that abdominal obesity in diabetic patients escalates the likelihood of developing a malignant brain tumor known as glioma.
Asan Medical Center(AMC) research team led by Professor Eun Hee Koh and Professor Yun Kyung Cho from the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism conducted an analysis of 1.89 million diabetic patients who underwent health examinations between 2009 and 2012. The study utilized National Health Insurance Service data and tracked the patients for up to 10 years.
During the period between 2009 and 2018, the number of diabetic patients who developed glioma amounted to 1,846. The research team categorized the diabetic patients into six groups based on waist circumferences, with 5 cm increments, ranging from Group 1 (males with a waist circumference below 80cm, females below 75cm) to Group 6 (males with a waist circumference of 100cm or more, females 95cm or more).
Upon adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, and body mass index (BMI) of the diabetic patients, the research team analyzed the incidence of glioma within each group. The findings revealed that compared to Group 1, the incidence rate of glioma increased by 5% in Group 2, 18% in Group 3, 28% in Group 4, 32% in Group 5, and 37% in Group 6, indicating a progressive rise in glioma incidence with increasing waist circumference. Notably, the increase in glioma incidence due to abdominal obesity was 16% higher in diabetic patients under 65 years old compared to elderly patients aged 65 or older.
Professor Eun Hee Koh stated, "This research holds significant value as it uncovers the correlation between abdominal obesity and the incidence of glioma in a large population of diabetic patients. While the exact cause of glioma remains unknown, fat cells appear to trigger inflammatory reactions in the body, thereby elevating the risk of occurrence."
The research findings were recently published in the renowned international academic journal ‘PLOS One.’