Obesity decreases insulin sensitivity in susceptible subjects

Responsiveness to insulin (as assessed from the intravenous glucose tolerance test) according to body weight in subjects without diabetes and with either no family history of type 2 diabetes in first-degree relatives or with two parents with type 2 diabetes. Both groups had similar insulin responsiveness at near normal ideal body weight, but the degree of insulin resistance (decrease in insulin sensitivity) as body weight increased was more pronounced in the offspring of parents with type 2 diabetes.