Has your doctor told you that you have Type 2 Diabetes? So, taking care of your weight, that is, maintaining a healthy weight, is one of the best things you can do to fight this disease. Even if you lose a small amount of weight, you can still save yourself from the dangerous complications that diabetes can cause in the future. If you are a person who uses insulin injections for diabetes, losing a little weight will also improve the functioning of that insulin. You may even be able to reduce the amount of insulin you need to take.
What is the relationship between diabetes and body weight?
There is actually a very strong, direct connection between the two. Studies have found that many people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Simply put, if your Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 25 and 30, you are overweight. If it is more than 30, you are obese.
A number of studies conducted in the United States and Europe have been analyzed and found that, compared to people of a healthy weight, obese men are seven times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes , and obese women are twelve times more likely . These are not insignificant numbers, right?
One thing to remember is that if you lose weight, it's also very important to maintain that weight. Yo-yo dieting, which involves losing weight and then gaining it back, actually increases your risk of developing diabetes.
It's true that weight isn't the only factor that contributes to diabetes. There are several other factors.
- your age
- Your race or ethnicity
- Having diabetes in the family (heredity)
- How active you are
- Your stress levels
But out of all of these, the main and most important factor we can control is our body weight.
How does your weight affect your blood sugar levels?
To understand this, we first need to understand what the hormone insulin does in our body. Think of it like a key that opens the doors to our body's cells and helps them take in the energy source glucose in the blood.
When we become obese, especially when we accumulate fat around our belly, our body cells don't respond properly to this key called insulin. This is what we call insulin resistance . It's like the key is there, but the lock on the door is stuck. Then, because the cells can't take in the sugar, all that sugar builds up in the blood.
When blood sugar levels remain high, our pancreas starts producing more and more insulin to control it. It's like pushing harder and harder to open a stuck door. Over time, the pancreas becomes weak from continued use and is unable to produce enough insulin. That's when type 2 diabetes occurs.
Why is belly fat dangerous?
Visceral fat , medically known as belly fat, is more dangerous than fat stored anywhere else in our bodies. This is because these fat cells release more chemicals that cause inflammation in the body. This inflammation is what causes the most serious complications of diabetes:
- Heart disease
- Kidney failure
- Eye damage
- Nerve damage
- Teeth and gum problems
Things like that happen. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to your waist size. If your waist is more than 35 inches for a woman , and more than 40 inches for a man , your risk of these complications is very high.
| Concept | Simply put... |
|---|---|
| Insulin | The sugar in the blood is the key that helps it enter cells for energy. |
| Insulin Resistance | Due to excess weight, cells do not respond to this key. As a result, sugar accumulates in the blood. |
| Visceral Fat | Dangerous fat that accumulates around the belly increases inflammation in the body and causes complications. |
What happens to your diabetes treatment when you lose weight?
This is the best news you'll ever hear. Losing weight can quickly and positively change your diabetes treatment plan and future health.
Just losing 5% of your body weight can significantly reduce your insulin resistance. As a result, you may be able to reduce the amount of diabetes medication you take, or even stop taking it altogether. If you are taking more than one type of diabetes medication, you may be able to reduce the number of medications you take.
The results of this can also be clearly seen in your A1c test report. A1c is an average value that shows how well your blood sugar has been controlled over the past 2-3 months.
One small study found,
- People who lost about 5% of their body weight saw their A1c values decrease by about 0.5 points .
- Those who lost 10% of their body weight saw their A1c values drop by about 1.5 points .
Doesn't this show how powerful losing weight is?
Getting to and maintaining a healthy weight is not only good for diabetes management, but also for your overall health. It will give you the energy to get through the day feeling refreshed and at your best. So if you feel like you need to lose some weight, definitely talk to your doctor. He or she can help you figure out what a healthy weight range is for you and create a plan to help you reach that goal and maintain it.
Take-Home Message
- Maintaining a healthy weight is essential to controlling Type 2 Diabetes.
- Even losing 5% to 10% of your total weight can have a big impact on blood sugar control and insulin function.
- Visceral fat, especially that which is deposited around the belly, is a major cause of complications such as heart disease and kidney disease caused by diabetes.
- By losing weight, you may be able to reduce the amount of diabetes medication you take, or even stop it altogether.
- Always seek your doctor's advice to develop a safe weight loss plan that is right for you.
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