What fruit are you?
No, this isn’t a diet question to find out what kind of fruit you prefer to eat. It’s actually a body type question.
And the reason it’s important to know your “fruit” is because according to a new study it can be the main cause of type 2 diabetes.
Banana, pear, apple, or hourglass (okay, that last one isn’t a fruit): which shape describes you?
If you are in the pear group, which means a leaner torso and curvier in the hips, your risk of developing type 2 diabetes just dropped.
People at the highest risk of developing the disease? Those who fall into the apple category, in which most of your weight will be gathered above the hips.
A study out of King’s College in London discovered that people with pear shapes are significantly less likely to develop type two diabetes than cohorts of a different shape.
They think it has something to do with the KLF-14 gene, which is one that determines where and how to store fat in the body. Variants to the gene cause protein changes that tell other genes how to store the fat.
While the results were significant, the researchers did reinforce that there is no guarantee that pear shaped-people will be immune to developing type 2 diabetes any more than those of other shapes are guaranteed to develop it.
The biggest factor, studies show, is the damaging effects of chronic inflammation on the pancreas’ beta cells, which regulate the production of insulin. Inflammation will also disrupt how sensitive to insulin the body’s cells will be.
This is why it’s critical to get your body’s inflammation processes under control, especially if you already have or are imminently developing type 2 diabetes.