Obesity and type 2 diabetes are tightly linked. The more overweight someone is, the higher their risk of getting diabetes. Also, the longer a person has been overweight, the greater the risk. Obesity may sometimes lead to diabetes because of its effects on insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin’s job is to help cells take glucose from the blood. Cells then use glucose for energy.
Because you already have diabetes, you may think that it’s too late to worry about the link between being overweight and diabetes. But in fact, it’s not too late at all.
First, if you have type 2 diabetes, your children have a higher risk of diabetes just because they are related to you. The changes you make in your family’s diet and activities to help you get to a healthier weight can help the rest of your family avoid diabetes.
Second, your weight can make a big difference in your diabetes control. Losing weight won’t cure type 2 diabetes. But, it will bring glucose levels down. Weight loss of 10 to 20 pounds can be enough to improve diabetes control. The closer to normal that people with diabetes keep their glucose levels, the fewer complications they then to have.
The evidence is overwhelming that extra fat cheats you of a healthy life now and can rob years from your life later. But, losing weight usually does improve your diabetes control and your overall health.
The Weight Factor
Why is weight such an important factor in Type 2 diabetes. This scale illustrates how extra body fat affects you. Food is represented by X’s and insulin is represented by O’s. In people who do not have diabetes, a balance between X’s and O’s is always achieved.
In people with Type 2 diabetes, who are usually overweight, the beta cells in the pancreases cannot produce enough insulin to maintain a balance. There are two many X’s (food) for the O’s (insulin) to handle. The best treatment is to decrease stored fat (X’s) to balance with the available insulin (O’s).
