Gaining weight after the age of 50 is strongly linked to the risk of Type 2 diabetes, researchers say.

Body fat or adiposity is a well-recognized risk factor for Type 2 diabetes among young and middle-aged adults, but less is known about the relationship between body composition in seniors.

To learn more, Mary Biggs of the University of Washington, Seattle, and her co-authors looked at the relationship between changes in body fat, fat distribution and diabetes risk among 4,193 men and women 65 years of age and older.

People in the highest category of body fat had about a two- to six-fold increased risk of developing diabetes compared with those in the lowest category, the researchers reported in the June 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Results of this study affirm the importance of maintaining optimal weight during middle age for prevention of diabetes and, while requiring confirmation, suggest that weight control remains important in reducing diabetes risk among adults 65 years of age and older," the study's authors concluded.

None of the participants had been diagnosed with diabetes at the start of study. BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and other data were collected at the start of the study in 1989 and during the course of research that lasted an average of 12 years.