The cover image depicts an athlete racing against time, as our society is challenged by the ‘battle of the bulge’, driven by increased energy intake coupled with inactivity. In this issue of Diabetologia (50: 1500-1508), Nolan and colleagues suggest that compared with later-onset (>30 years) obesity, the early development of obesity/type 2 diabetes contributes to an exacerbated metabolic phenotype. Their findings indicate that early-onset diabetes is more resistant to exercise. Further implications of their findings are discussed in the commentary by Osler and Zierath (50: 1362-1364).
Cover credit: Neil Leslie, Wellcome Trust Medical Photographic Library