Do women's personality traits affect their risk of diabetes? – Medical Information Bulletin

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In a recent study published in the journal MenopauseThe researchers examined whether personality traits are badociated with the risk of diabetes in postmenopausal women.

Diabetes affects more than 30 million Americans so far. The risk of diabetes increases with age, and type 2 diabetes is the most common type. Adults account for approximately 90 to 94% of all diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes. Body weight, family history of diabetes, race / ethnicity, and physical activity are all risk factors for diabetes.

In a recent study published in the Journal of The North American Menopause Society, The researchers examined whether personality traits were related to the risk of diabetes in postmenopausal women. The researchers collected data on 139,924 non-diabetic menopausal women at the start of the study and followed them for 14 years. The women were all 50 to 79 years old and all came from the Women's Health Initiative.

The researchers found that during the 14 years of follow-up, 19,240 women enrolled in the study had developed type 2 diabetes. The researchers compared the less optimistic women to the optimistic ones and discovered that the most optimistic women had a risk of diabetes reduced by 12%. The results also show that women who expressed negative emotions had an increased risk of diabetes of 9% and 17%. The link with the risk of diabetes was higher in obese women than in non-obese women.

Women who were not very optimistic, very negative and very hostile were at a higher risk of diabetes than those who were very optimistic. The researchers mentioned the use of personality traits to help identify women at high risk of developing diabetes and provide them with more personalized education, treatment and prevention strategies.

Written by Nicole A. Brown, MS

References:

1. Luo, J., Manson, J.E., Weitlauf, J.C., Shadyab, A.H., Rapp, S.R., Garcia, L.,. . . Hendryx, M. (2019). Personality traits and incidence of diabetes in postmenopausal women. Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/menopausejournal/Abstract/publishahead/Personality_traits_and_diabetes_incidence_among.97427.aspx
2. The North American menopausal society. (2019). Your personality may expose you to an increased risk of developing diabetes. Retrieved from https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/press-release/personality-traits-and-diabetes-risk-1-23-19.pdf

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