Good Day LittleGreyCat,
My dissertation is focused on T2DM and nutrition. However, I must say that there is nothing narrow about the epidemic of obesity and T2DM. This is all interlinked.
Actually the majority of overweight/obese people can be classified as prediabetic as some do fully convert to diabetes, and others go back and forth from prediabetes state to a normal state and then back again to the prediabetes state. The important point is that being overweight is damaging to the metabolism and sets insulin intolerance free to attack every cell type in the body. Some of the latest research identifies fat as causing metabolic conversions in the liver creating insulin resistance which has the tendency to be permanent if not dealt with quickly and aggressively. I have seen many who have been able to reestablish normal labs including HbA1c's that actually convert back to a normal range. There are others that regardless of the weight loss and increase in activity never achieve a normal range again, however do reach an acceptable range where damage and risk factors are minimal.
According to the Harvard Gazette (7 mar 2012), 30% of all obese people already have T2DM. In addition, they state that 85% of all diabetics are overweight. Impossible to talk about diabetes without addressing obesity as well. ( See:
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/03/the-big-setup/ ) I have reviewed many articles just based on being overweight, and the compliance failure for both remain well under 50%. One cannot discuss obesity without referring to diabetes these days.
Thank you for your comments.