How long is your thigh? The answer might help reveal whether you have type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. The length of your thigh is one of the seven pieces of information you can enter in the new online test, MEDWACS. The test can effectively detect people with prediabetes or undiagnosed type 2 diabetes and was developed by two DTU researchers in collaboration with an Italian doctor and researcher.
"Type 2 diabetes is easy to diagnose with a blood test, but if you don't suspect you have it, you won't go to the doctor to have one done. "That's why an online test at home can encourage people to see a doctor," says postdoc Daniel Yoo at DTU Sustain, who has been the driving force behind the new online test.
MEDWACS was developed in collaboration between Daniel Yoo and DTU colleague Professor Olivier Jolliet, as well as the Italian doctor Umberto Maggiore, who is specialized in kidney diseases, which are frequent complications of diabetes. Their work has been published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.
MEDWACS was developed using artificial intelligence and large amounts of US health data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, collected over 30 years for both sexes aged 18 and up. The researchers have carried out two external validations of the test tool, testing it on data from two populations in the US and South Korea, where the number of people with and without the condition is known.
The validations show that MEDWACS is highly effective at detecting people with prediabetes or undiagnosed type 2 diabetes, performing on par with or exceeding other recognized testing methods.
Measure your thigh
In MEDWACS - as in similar tests - you must answer questions such as age, gender, and BMI. These questions are based on seven parameters that the research team selected from nearly 3,700 possible options.
All seven parameters can be measured at home using a tape measure, bathroom scales, and a standard blood pressure monitor.
The most surprising parameter is the length of your thigh, which can help reveal your risk of type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. A parameter that initially surprised the research team as well. But Umberto Maggiore, the medical expert, can explain why this curious measurement is interesting in the context of diabetes:
"The length of the femur bears witness to nutrition in early childhood. Poor nutrition in the first years of life slightly inhibits bone growth and is closely linked to an increased risk of diabetes decades later. Furthermore, the body's largest muscle group is also located in the thighs, and these muscles are responsible for removing sugar from the blood. Overall, shorter legs mean that a person has less muscle mass to absorb that sugar, which increases the risk of diabetes."
About MEDWACS
About type 2 diabetes and prediabetes
Prediabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes is also referred to as a precursor to type 2 diabetes. There are virtually no symptoms of pre-diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, symptoms may include:
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
10.1016/j.jclinepi.2026.112266
Enhancing prediabetes and diabetes detection through a machine learning-enabled self-assessment approach
1-Jul-2026
Daniel Yoo reports that financial support was provided by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Olivier Jolliet reports that financial support was provided by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Olivier Jolliet reports a relationship with Soremartec Italia Srl that includes funding grants. Olivier Jolliet reports a relationship with Ferrero Sustainable Nutrition Board that includes consulting or advisory. Olivier Jolliet reports a relationship with Ferrero master that includes speaking and lecture fees. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.