Hepatitis B Virus Immunity Linked to Reduced Risk for Diabetes

THURSDAY, Sept. 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Hepatitis B virus (HBV) immunity in individuals without HBV infection is associated with a reduced risk for diabetes, according to a study published online June 25 in Diagnostics to coincide with the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, held from Sept. 15 to 19 in Vienna.

Nhu Quynh Phan, from Taipei Medical University in Taiwan, and colleagues examined whether HBV immunity reduced diabetes risk in individuals without HBV infection in a retrospective cohort study. Adults with hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) results without a history of HBV infection or diabetes were included in the study. After propensity score matching, the analysis included 582,462 individuals (291,231 in the HBV-immunized group and 291,231 in the HBV-unimmunized group).

The researchers found that compared with the HBV-unimmunized group, the HBV-immunized group had a lower diabetes risk (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85), with a dose-response effect seen, and greater reduction in the risk for diabetes with higher HBsAb levels. Compared with HBsAb <10 mIU/mL, HBsAb levels ≥100 and ≥1,000 mIU/mL were associated with significant reductions in diabetes risk (HRs, 0.81 and 0.57, respectively). There was an association for a reduced risk for diabetes with age. Compared with unimmunized individuals, immunized individuals aged 18 to 44, 45 to 64, and 65 years and older had lower risks for diabetes (HRs, 0.80, 0.89, and 0.88, respectively).

“HBV immunity may be associated with a reduced risk of diabetes, suggesting broader HBV vaccination as a dual-benefit strategy for the prevention of hepatitis B and diabetes, especially in regions with a high prevalence of both diseases,” the authors write.

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