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Review
. 2022 Jan 4;34(1):11-20.
doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2021.12.012.

Why does obesity cause diabetes?

Samuel Klein  1 , Amalia Gastaldelli  2 , Hannele Yki-Järvinen  3 , Philipp E Scherer  4
Affiliations
Review

Why does obesity cause diabetes?

Samuel Klein et al. Cell Metab. .

Abstract

The accumulation of an excessive amount of body fat can cause type 2 diabetes, and the risk of type 2 diabetes increases linearly with an increase in body mass index. Accordingly, the worldwide increase in the prevalence of obesity has led to a concomitant increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes. The cellular and physiological mechanisms responsible for the link between obesity and type 2 diabetes are complex and involve adiposity-induced alterations in β cell function, adipose tissue biology, and multi-organ insulin resistance, which are often ameliorated and can even be normalized with adequate weight loss.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests S.K. serves as a scientific consultant for Janssen and Altimmune and has a sponsored research agreement with Janssen. A.G. serves as a scientific consultant for Eli Lilly, Gilead, Inventiva, and Boehringer. H.Y.-J. serves as a scientific consultant for Merck, Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, and Hamni Pharmaceuticals. P.E.S. has sponsored research agreements with Merck and Novo Nordisk.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Alterations in adipose tissue biology associated with metabolic dysfunction in persons with obesity.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Multi-organ therapeutic effects of weight loss
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Inter-organ cross-talk in the pathogenesis of metabolic dysfunction in people with obesity. CO2 = carbon dioxide, HSC = hepatic stellate cell, FFA = free fatty acid, PAI-1 = plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, TG = triglyceride, TGRL = triglyceride-rich lipoprotein, VLDL = very-low-density lipoprotein.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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