According to the latest issue of Diabetes Care, researchers at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute found in a long-term survey of more than 3,400 adults that nearly 80 percent of women who were both obese and had diabetes were at risk for heart disease, while men who were both obese and had diabetes had a higher risk of heart disease The risk was 87 percent. The findings suggest that obesity and diabetes usually go hand in hand, with diabetes itself being the main cause of heart disease and obesity increasing the risk of heart disease. The survey showed that women with normal weight and no diabetes had a 34% risk of heart disease; women with normal weight but diabetes had a 55% risk of heart disease; obese women without diabetes had a 47% risk of heart disease; and women with obesity and diabetes had a 79% risk of heart disease. The situation was largely similar for men, with a 49 percent risk of heart disease for those of normal weight and without diabetes; a 77 percent risk for those of normal weight but with diabetes; a 67 percent risk for obese men without diabetes; and an 87 percent risk for men with obesity and diabetes. The researchers found that cases of heart disease caused by diabetes are gradually increasing. They warned that if the current situation does not improve, this trend will continue to worsen. It is estimated that the number of people with diabetes in the United States could increase to more than 48 million by 2050.