Insulin-associated Weight Gain in Type 2 Diabetes and Its Relation with Caloric Intake

Nadeem Naeem; Abdul Basit; Ambreen Shiraz; Awn Bin Zafar; Nida Mustafa; Shaista Ali Siddique; Asher Fawwad

doi:10.7759/cureus.5275

Insulin-associated Weight Gain in Type 2 Diabetes and Its Relation with Caloric Intake

Cureus. 2019 Jul 30;11(7):e5275. doi: 10.7759/cureus.5275.

Authors

Nadeem Naeem¹, Abdul Basit¹, Ambreen Shiraz², Awn Bin Zafar¹, Nida Mustafa³, Shaista Ali Siddique⁴, Asher Fawwad¹

Affiliations

¹ Medicine, Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology, Baqai Medical University, Karachi, PAK.
² Biochemistry, Baqai Medical University, Karachi, PAK.
³ Research, Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology, Baqai Medical University, Karachi, PAK.
⁴ Miscellaneous, Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology, Baqai Medical University, Karachi, PAK.

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to observe the weight change in a patient with type 2 diabetes initiated on insulin therapy and the relation of weight gain with caloric intake. Methods This retrospective longitudinal follow-up study was conducted at the Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE), a tertiary care hospital of Karachi, Pakistan. Records of 917 patients attending the tertiary care diabetic clinic were retrieved from January 2009 to May 2016 from the Hospital Management System (HMS). Subjects were divided into two groups: group A consisted of subjects on oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA), while group B consisted of subjects on insulin therapy with OHA. Change in weight, change in HbA1c, and change in calories intake were calculated by examining data at baseline and end-line visit of the study. Results Group B showed significantly higher weight gain than group A (48.3% vs 24.8%). Insulin therapy with OHA (OR (95% CI = 1.78(1.05-3.02)), increased caloric intake (OR [95% CI = 1.98(1.093.60)]) and decreased HbA1c (OR [95% CI = 0.44(0.24-0.79)]) were the only factors identified as significant predictors of weight gain. Conclusion It is concluded that type 2 diabetic subjects, especially on insulin treatment, gain weight due to increase or unadvised caloric intake. Long-term multicenter studies are needed to ascertain the findings of this study.

Keywords: insulin; type 2 diabetes; weight gain.