Type 2 diabetes, a condition widely thought of as a disease of
the overweight and sedentary, also develops in people who aren’t
overweight. And it may be deadlier in these normal-weight
people, a new study shows. In the study, which appeared in The
Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers
reviewed data involving more than 2,500 people with Type 2
diabetes, some of whom were followed for decades. The scientists
found that those who were of normal weight around the time of
their diagnoses were twice as likely to die during the study
period, compared with those who were overweight or obese. The
researchers could not explain why having a greater body mass
index, or B.M.I., might protect someone with diabetes. But they
did point out that some doctors may be prone to treating thin
diabetics differently from their obese counterparts, and may be
less likely to push them to make diet and exercise changes that
could improve their survival. “Normal-weight people may be
treated less aggressively,” said Me