Background: Globally, obesity has become an epidemic. It has been implicated in chronic non-communicable diseases such as diabetes. The risk of diabetes among the obese population has been conjectured based on limited data. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the outcome of various diabetogenic indices among diet-induced obese male Wistar rats. Method: Male Wistar rats were randomly put into two groups and fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and normal rat chow (NFD) for ten (10) weeks ad libitum. Zoometric, morphometric, and serum biochemical measurements were made during and after the dietary treatment. Student t-test, one-way ANOVA, the Pearson correlation, and logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the association between biochemical indices, BMI, and diabetes among the experimental animal population after the dietary treatment. Results: The study revealed significant weight gain (83 ± 18.4, p < 0.0001) and marked morphometric changes characterized by increased weight of kidney (1.17 ± 0.08, p < 0.01), liver (8.57 ± 3.04, p < 0.01) pancreas (1.15 ± 0.045, p = 0.027) and abdominal fat (5.2 ± 1.40, p < 0.0001) among most (>80%) of the animal population rationed on the HFD. There was hyperglycemia (5.5 ± 0.69, p = 0.028), hyperinsulinemia (11.29 ± 3.27, p = 0.043), and dyslipidemia characterized by elevated triglyceride (1.50 ± 0.83, p < 0.001) and total cholesterol (4.68 ± 1.70, p < 0.035). On Pearson correlation and logistic regression analysis, elevated BMI correlated positively with HOMA-IR (OR: 25.0; 95% CI: 1.8 - 346.7; p < 0.0001) and negatively with HOMA-S (OR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.047 - 16.66; p < 0.001) and HOMA-B (OR: 1.0; 95% CI: 0.156 - 6.42; p < 0.05). Conclusion: Obesity is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus.
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