Diabetes and being overweight go hand in hand. Too much weight for an individual brings a slew of complications and predisposition for serious diseases including diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. It is not absolutely clear whether being overweight is a cause or result of being diabetic. However, experts do know that reducing body weight greatly increases an individual’s chance of delaying or preventing diabetes. In cases where there has been a diagnosis, losing weight can make the difference in medication dosage and diabetes management. It is up to the individual, however, as to how much control over the disease he or she wants to have.
Diabetes is a serious disease that affects over 20 million people in the United States alone. Of those diagnosed, the majority of diabetics have Type II. Type II diabetes refers to the body’s resistance to insulin. Whether the body simply ignores the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas, or insufficient amounts are made by the pancreas, natural metabolic processes are unable to reduce blood glucose levels. When a body cannot convert the glucose to energy for the cell to use, it stores it as fat. This contributes to the weight problem.
At the same time, being overweight aggravates the diabetic condition. Gaining too much weight for one’s height and frame can predispose him for diabetes. Consuming too much food as well as eating foods rich in simple carbohydrates or highly processed fats leads to an increase in weight. More importantly this lifestyle leads to a pattern of hills and valleys in respect to blood glucose levels. Each time the sugar levels are elevated, the body reacts by overproducing insulin to lower them. As levels drop quickly, adrenaline is released to reestablish balance in the system. This pattern continues until cells are less sensitive to insulin. At this point the body cannot effectively reduce blood sugar levels on its own anymore. The result is Type II diabetes.
The prognosis for diabetes does not have to be a grave one. The most convincing data to fight diabetes and obesity is to lose weight. Individuals who educate themselves on matters of nutrition and exercise stand the best chance of avoiding the disease, lowering blood pressure and living a more fruitful life. By choosing foods that will provide health benefits and raise blood sugar levels gradually, a person can restore the natural metabolic process that balances itself properly. Changing what foods are consumed can also reduce weight by reducing the amount of calories eaten.
Along with nutrition, we have to consider exercise. Exercise has been found to not only combat an increasing weight problem, but it actually increases a cell’s insulin sensitivity. By exercising, the cardiovascular system, endocrinal system and digestive system are greatly improved. The body’s metabolism increases, burning more calories than at rest. The result is a caloric deficit that translates into shed weight. It is important to select activities according to an individual’s abilities and interests. By doing so, the chance of exercise becoming a reoccurring event is increased. A person will return to an activity that they truly enjoyed.
Watch what you eat. Garbage in, garbage out, right? You have strict dietary requirements once you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes. This means that you absolutely must follow your dietary restrictions. Learn to live within those limits in order to live and enjoy life to the fullest you can. The amazing thing is that there are all kinds of foods available that are friendly to those with diabetes that weren’t around just a few short years ago. It is quite possible to live and eat quite nicely with diabetes if you stick to your plan. The most important thing about dieting with diabetes is that you never lose sight of how crucial it is to do so.