Is Diabetes More Common in Males or Females?

The World Health Organization defines diabetes as "...a metabolic disorder of multiple aetiology characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both." Medical researchers have completed clinical studies of women and men and have also evaluated statistical information from diabetes patients to determine the relationships between gender and the incidence of diabetes.

Statistics

• More women have been diagnosed with diabetes. The National Bureau of Economic Research, after citing double the incidents of male diabetes over the last 25 years, suggests that the numbers may reflect improvements in reporting and increased medical care, rather than an actual increase in the disease level.

Sex Hormones and Type-2 Diabetes

• A 2006 study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association found women with high levels of testosterone and men with low levels may be more likely to have type 2 diabetes. The authors warn that additional study is required to confirm the link.

Economic Factors

• Studies show that economic factors may have an impact on incidents of diabetes in both sexes. Women earning lower salaries have higher incidents of diabetes than their wealthier counterparts, while males with higher income have higher disease levels over other males earning less income.

Obesity

• Overweight people, regardless of gender, are more susceptible to diabetes. Researcher James P. Smith of the Rand Corporation states that weight plays an important factor in developing the disease.

Triglycerides and Cholesterol Levels

• Diabetic women have additional problems with cholesterol and lipoprotein levels than men with the disease, according to a study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1984.