Think you won't get type 2 diabetes because you're skinny? Think again!

Are you one of those people who are blessed with a fast metabolism? You know, one of those who can eat just about anything - milkshakes, burgers, chips, you name it - and not put on any weight?

Before you nod and go, “yup, I'm one of those lucky ones!”, think again!

A spanking new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has revealed that four in every ten “skinny fat people” like yourself have high blood sugar by middle age and are therefore likely to have prediabetes.

Keep reading to learn what it means to be metabolically unhealthy and the lifestyle changes you can make to prevent prediabetes if you're “skinny fat”.

New study uncovers why approximately one-third of American adults who weigh a healthy weight have prediabetes

For the study, researchers from the University of Florida in the USA tracked data from more than 1,000 people living in England who were aged 20 and older. All of the study subjects weighed a healthy weight and had no diagnosis of diabetes.
 
Study leader Arch Mainous III, the chair of health services research, management and policy in the university’s College of Public Health and Health Professions, reported that him and his team found that the study subjects who lead an inactive lifestyle were much more likely to have blood sugar levels of 5.7 or more compared to those who exercised regularly.
 

People who are “skinny fat” and don’t exercise are at heightened risk of prediabetes because they’re metabolically unhealthy

According to the American Diabetes Association, blood sugar levels of 5.7 and above is considered prediabetes or, in other words, elevated blood sugar levels rather than full-blown diabetes.
 
Overall, 25% of all inactive study subjects and 40% of study subjects over the age of 45 met the prediabetes criteria, the study read. While the researchers couldn’t prove cause and effect, they were able to prove that people who are “skinny fat” or who have “normal-weight obesity” and don’t exercise are at heightened risk of prediabetes.

 
“We’ve found that a lot of people who we would consider to be at healthy weight – they’re not overweight or obese – aren’t metabolically healthy,” Mainous explained.
 

Researchers stress that you should never overlook a sedentary lifestyle when you think of weighing a healthy weight

“Our findings suggest that sedentary lifestyle is overlooked when we think in terms of healthy weight. We shouldn't focus only on calorie intake, weight or body mass index at the expense of activity,” Mainous reported.
 
“Don't focus solely on the scale and think you're OK. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, make sure you get up and move!” he concluded.
 
This study by Mainous and his team adds to a growing body of research that lack of exercises contributes to health problems such as diabetes. Get moving!

Tags: prediabetes, prediabetes causes, prediabetes risk, diabetes risk factors, type 2 diabetes, skinny fat definition, diabetes in thin people, healthy body weight, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes news