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Rise in Prevalence of Obesity in Youth, Adults With T1DM Seen From 2008 to 2023

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 4, 2025.

via HealthDay

FRIDAY, April 4, 2025 -- From 2008-2011 to 2020-2023, there was an increase in the prevalence of obesity among youth and adults with type 1 diabetes, and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) prescriptions also increased for this group over time, according to a study published online March 3 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.

Yunwen Xu, Ph.D., from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and colleagues characterized trends in obesity and prescriptions for GLP-1 RAs across body mass index (BMI) categories among U.S. patients with type 1 diabetes (youth [2 to 19 years] and adults [20 years and older]).

The researchers found that from 2008-2011 to 2020-2023, the prevalence of obesity increased from 18.1 to 26.0 percent among youth with type 1 diabetes and from 30.5 to 38.1 percent for adults with type 1 diabetes. Black and Hispanic youth and adults had the highest obesity rates; over time, racial and ethnic disparities persisted. Across all BMI categories, GLP-1 RA prescriptions increased significantly during the last 15-year period in a dose-response manner among youth and adults with type 1 diabetes.

"Obesity and GLP-1 RA prescriptions across different BMI categories have surged over the last 15-year period in a large and diverse U.S. population of youth and adults with type 1 diabetes," the authors write. "Our findings underscore the urgent need for safety and efficacy data on GLP-1 RAs and clinical guidelines for obesity management among the type 1 diabetes population."

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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