The Link Between Diabetes and Obesity
Introduction:
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), 11.3% of the US population has diabetes, and 41.9% are obese. A UK-based study also concluded that two-thirds of these diabetics were obese. These are substantial numbers and a source of concern for public health.
What are diabetes and obesity, and how are they linked to each other? Diabetes is when the blood sugar levels of the body are above normal, and obesity is the excessive accumulation of fat in the body. Both affect us and menace public health. This blog will focus on answering this question and go into more depth about how it affects individuals.
Revival Research Institute is a prominent research institute conducting clinical trials on diabetes and obesity to help individuals suffering from both. The trial also aims to protect the cardiovascular health of individuals who are at moderate risk of heart disease.
Links Between Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes:
- Inflammatory response: Fat, particularly abdominal fat, can lead to the release of some chemicals that can make the body less sensitive to the effects of insulin. It does this by disrupting the function of insulin-responsive cells and their ability to respond to insulin. This is effectively insulin resistance — a hallmark of type 2 diabetes. Thus, having excess fat around the waistline, known as central or abdominal obesity, poses a particularly high risk for obesity.
- Disturbance in Fat Metabolism: The way the body processes fats are also a cause of obesity. This prompts fat tissues (scientific term: adipose tissue) to discharge fat molecules into the bloodstream. This can impact cells responsiveness to insulin, resulting in diminished insulin sensitivity.
- Preventing Obesity: From what we have read so far, the strong connections between obesity and type 2 diabetes are well-established. Without adopting a healthy diet and engaging in suitable exercise, obesity can cause the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Conversely, even a minor reduction in body weight can enhance the body’s responsiveness to insulin, decreasing the likelihood of developing conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer. Engaging in regular moderate-intensity physical activity following a 5% reduction in body weight may decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes by more than 50%.
Expenses Associated with Obesity:
The monetary damage inflicted on the national healthcare system due to obesity and its correlated disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, is substantial. Treating obesity, type 2 diabetes, and its complications like nephropathy, heart disease, and amputation incurs substantial costs. With a surge in new cases of obesity-related type 2 diabetes annually in the US, these expenses are projected to rise continually in the future.
Addressing this issue necessitates the need for customized and culturally suitable educational resources that effectively communicate the hazards of poor dietary habits and insufficient physical activity to the general populace.
Lifestyle Adjustments:
Embracing positive lifestyle changes can hamper the onset of obesity and other healthcare disorders. To avert a potential healthcare crisis, there is a need to produce information that highlights the significance of such changes, especially targeting children.
Additional Diabetes Risk Factors:
Several other factors elevate the risk of type 2 diabetes development. These encompass:
- Having prediabetes
- Age 45 or older
- Having a close relative, like a parent or sibling, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
- Experiencing gestational diabetes or giving birth to a baby weighing over 9 pounds
- Belonging to high-risk ethnic groups such as African American, Hispanic, Latino, American Indian, Pacific Islander, Asian American, or Alaska Native
Modifiable risk factors also contribute to type 2 diabetes. These encompass:
- Irregular physical activity
- Persistent elevated blood pressure
- Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
- Smoking
- Inadequate consumption of a diverse and healthy diet
- Excessive alcohol intake
- Elevated stress levels
- Inadequate sleep
Weight Management:
Sustaining a moderate weight can aid in diabetes prevention and management. For most individuals, this involves finding the right balance of exercise, healthful eating, and portion regulation.
Engaging in physical activity is pivotal for weight loss and maintenance. The exact duration of physical activity required varies from person to person. However, a reasonable objective is 150–300 minutes (about 5 hours) of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise weekly, such as brisk walking. Alternatively, one can aim for 75–150 minutes (about 2 and a half hours) of vigorous-intensity activities like running or cycling.
Consuming a diverse array of nutritious foods from all food groups is essential. These groups encompass:
- Vegetables, including both non-starchy options like broccoli, carrots, and tomatoes, and starchy choices like potatoes, corn, and green peas
- Fruits like oranges, apples, bananas, melons, berries, and grapes
- Grains including whole wheat, rice, and oats
- Healthy proteins from chicken, fish, or plant-based alternatives
- Dairy products like low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese
- Utilizing tools to assist in formulating meal plans and portion sizes
A Word from Revival Research Institute:
Revival Research Institute, as a leading clinical research organization in Michigan, urges the public to take full responsibility for their health. It tries to partake in the betterment of the public by offering clinical trials as alternatives to regular treatments. As of now, it is currently enrolling participants who need to take care of their blood sugar levels and weight as well as helping to protect the cardiovascular health of those who are at moderate risk.
The Takeaway:
Diabetes and obesity are some of the most common healthcare disorders. Their high prevalence makes them a menace to public health and puts a huge burden on the national healthcare system. A lot of the times these diseases go hand in hand and occur concurrently. This means that they exacerbate the effects of one another.
While there are a lot of ways through which diabetes and obesity are linked and can alter the physiology of a healthy human, one thing is for sure: this is not good news for people. Certain modifiable factors like age or genetics cannot be altered. Conversely, people can adopt healthy lifestyles to minimize their risk of these conditions or the damage from them.
