Danish researchers found that obesity increased the risk of Type 2 diabetes by at least six times, no matter what a person’s genetic risk was.

The researchers tracked participants for a median of 15 years, and more than 4,700 adults developed Type 2 diabetes during that time. Among those who developed diabetes, nearly 22 percent were obese, while 43 percent were overweight.

Genetic risk was measured with blood tests that looked for 193 gene variants known to be associated with Type 2 diabetes. People with the most genetic variants were twice as likely to develop diabetes as those with the least.

Compared to people whose weight was normal, those who were overweight had a 2.4 times higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. For those who were obese, the risk was six times higher.

Previous studies have shown that losing even a little bit of weight can help people manage Type 2 diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association says dropping 10 to 15 pounds can help you control your diabetes.