By 1995, building on this new realization, researchers had determined that a weight gain of only 5.0–7.9 kg (11–17.5 pounds) increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 90 percent, and a weight gain of 8.0–10.9 kg (17.5–24 pounds) increased the risk by 270 percent.3 By contrast, weight loss decreased risk by more than 50 percent.
