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03/02/2026 - Press release

Abdominal fat is associated with premature vascular aging in type 1 diabetes

• A collaborative study by CIBERDEM-ISCIII, with the participation of the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, shows that abdominal fat accelerates vascular aging and increases the risk of long-term vascular complications, even before obesity develops.

A research team from the Parc Taulí Research and Innovation Institute (I3PT), in collaboration with the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV) and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute (HMRIB), has identified a clear association between the accumulation of abdominal fat and premature vascular aging in people with type 1 diabetes who have no previous history of cardiovascular disease.

The research was based on a cohort of 179 individuals with this condition, all of whom were assessed at Parc Taulí University Hospital. Despite having good control of blood glucose levels, blood pressure, and lipid profile, approximately 10% of the individuals studied showed signs of premature vascular aging-a key factor in the development of cardiovascular and microvascular complications that directly affect quality of life and life expectancy.

"In type 1 diabetes, insulin treatment is essential to control blood glucose, but over the years it can promote gradual weight gain associated with an increased risk of complications," explains Dr. José Miguel González-Clemente, endocrinologist at Parc Taulí and head of the Diabetes-Cardiovascular Risk Group at I3PT. According to the researcher, even before general obesity can be diagnosed, an accumulation of abdominal fat may already have occurred, particularly in the form of visceral fat, which is metabolically active and closely linked to arterial deterioration. "This type of fat promotes the loss of arterial elasticity, a process associated with the degradation of elastin, an essential protein of the vascular wall, and may underlie complications such as myocardial infarction, stroke, circulatory deficits in the lower limbs, or damage to the retina, kidneys, and peripheral nervous system," notes Dr. Gemma Llauradó, consultant physician in the Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition at Hospital del Mar and researcher in the Cardiovascular Risk and Nutrition Research Group at its research institute.

The waist-to-height ratio: a tool to detect premature vascular aging

To easily identify individuals at higher risk of vascular aging, the study focuses on the waist-to-height ratio, an indicator calculated by dividing waist circumference by height, both measured in centimeters. The data show that a value equal to or greater than 0.56 is associated with accelerated vascular aging, determined by pulse wave velocity-a non-invasive technique that quantifies arterial stiffness. "Practically all individuals with elevated pulse wave velocity had a waist-to-height ratio equal to or greater than 0.56," highlights González-Clemente, who emphasizes that other commonly used indicators, such as body mass index or waist-to-hip ratio, do not detect this risk with the same accuracy.

The results, published in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, reinforce the importance of preventing weight gain and monitoring abdominal fat accumulation as a preventive strategy. The researchers note that the next step will be to validate these findings in larger cohorts with longer follow-up periods. In addition, the study suggests that some drugs used in people with type 2 diabetes to reduce body weight could also be useful in people with type 1 diabetes, an area that still lacks sufficient evidence in clinical research.

Reference article

Llauradó G, Cano A, Giménez-Palop O, Albert L, Pareja R, Fernández-Veledo S, Vendrell J, González-Clemente JM. Insulin resistance and abdominal adiposity discriminate early vascular aging (higher vascular risk) in adults with type 1 diabetes without cardiovascular events. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2026 Jan;231:113010. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2025.113010. Epub 2025 Nov 19. PMID: 41271109

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