Obesity linked to clusters of diabetes and heart disease
Three observational cohorts of Chinese adults aged 45 and older—12,491 surveyed in 2011–2015, 8,412 in 2004–2015 and 22,193 in 2010–2022—showed similar disease links.
Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism
Adults aged 45 and older from three nationally representative Chinese cohorts were studied in an observational analysis of obesity and disease links. Researchers compared each participant’s first and last eligible surveys using a network model that assessed associations in both directions over time.
Obesity held a central position in networks linking diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease caused by reduced blood flow, and diseases of the brain’s blood vessels. The networks showed moderately similar patterns across cohorts. Among associations from obesity to later disease, the link with diabetes ranked highest in all three cohorts. High blood pressure was also associated with later obesity. Associations between high blood pressure and diabetes ran in both directions.
Why it matters
For middle-aged and older adults, the analysis bears on how obesity relates to developing several of these diseases together, rather than each condition in isolation.
Caveats
This observational network analysis identified associations over time, not causes. The findings came from Chinese adults aged 45 and older.
The paper
Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center
Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism · 7 Oct 2026
