If you are a woman in your 20s, 30s and early 40s, invest regularly in a healthy lifestyle. Keep the weight off -- a payout awaits you in middle-age.

Researchers reveal a woman's Body Mass Index (BMI) in her late 40s is the strongest predictor for risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the next eight years. An Australian research team from the University of Queensland followed 7,239 women for eight years between 1996-2004. Participants ranged in age between 45-50 at the start of the project, and they completed four health surveys over the duration of the study.

Women identifying themselves as overweight or obese, with BMIs of 25 or greater, were at the highest risk for developing type 2 by the year 2004. The worst risk lie with very obese women carrying BMIs of 35 or more, they were twelve times more likely to develop type 2 than normal-weight peers. Surprisingly, weight gained or lost during the eight-year study window did not alter a woman's risk for diabetes. Physical activity reduced risk for only the most active women.

Authors recommend public initiatives to prevent weight gain before and during early adulthood, as risk for type 2 is more closely related to BMI between 45-50 years than subsequent short-term weight change. While it is never too late to lose weight and reap a myriad of health benefits, it could be too late to lower your risk for type 2 diabetes. Read more about the study in Reuters or the abstract in Diabetes Care.