Association between Body Weight Gain from 20 Years of Age and Diabetic Nephropathy in Japanese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Background/Aims: It has been reported that the body mass index shows a U-shaped association with death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the Asian population. The relationship between body weight (BW) gain from early adulthood and diabetic nephropathy remains to be elucidated in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. Our aim was to investigate the association between BW gain from early adulthood and diabetic nephropathy in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: We assessed the BW of 471 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes and calculated the change in BW from the age of 20 years to the lifetime maximum (Delta BWmax-20y). We then evaluated the relationship of Delta BWmax-20y with the degree of urinary albumin excretion (UAE), which is a useful marker for CVD. Results: Delta BWmax-20y negatively correlated with the logarithm of UAE (r = -0.160, p = 0.002). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that Delta BWmax-20y was independently correlated with the logarithm of UAE (beta = -0.112, p = 0.034). Conclusions: BW gain from the age of 20 years is correlated with diabetic nephropathy in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. (C) 2019 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel