Weight loss helps diabetes control

By Weight Loss Consultant • Related • Filed Under

Diabetes is a dangerous, life threatening disease that can impact the daily life of those who have been diagnosed. The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) estimates that, in 2007, 7.8% of the population of the United States alone was suffering from diabetes. With diabetes comes a higher risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, blindness, amputation, and a whole host of other complications. As the amount of diabetes sufferers increases, more and more researchers in the scientific community are exploring the possibility that weight loss helps diabetes control.

There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 is less common and more severe. When someone has type 1 diabetes, it means that their body does not produce enough insulin and therefore cannot process glucose (a simple sugar that your food is broken down to by you body). Without the ability to process glucose, our bodies can derive no energy from the food we eat. When one is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, insulin shots must be taken daily. Type 1 diabetes is rare, and does not respond to weight control. It is considered a deficiency of the endocrine system rather than a side effect of obesity.

Type 2 diabetes is an entirely different story. With type 2 diabetes (also called “diabetes mellitus”), the sufferer’s body has developed a resistance to insulin. This means that their pancreas is still producing a normal amount of functional insulin, but their cells are no longer responding to the insulin as they should. When this happens, the body cannot absorb the glucose as it should, which results in the body storing the glucose as extra fat. Since fat calls are more resistant to insulin than muscle cells, the body never actually processes the glucose housed within the fat cells and they begin to accumulate.

The World Health Organization estimates that 90% of the diagnosed diabetes cases are type 2 diabetes. Fortunately, many physicians and diabetes researchers believe that weight loss helps diabetes control while also reducing the effects of type 2 diabetes and the amount of medication necessary to control the disease. Additionally, some researchers believe that obesity could cause type 2 diabetes by changing the make-up of the cells to create their inability to properly use insulin.

According to a 2008 study conducted by managed care organization Kaiser Permanente, weight loss experienced soon after a type 2 diabetes diagnosis will help the sufferer better control their blood sugar – even if they gain the weight back in the future. The most successful in the clinical study were those who lost the weight within 18 months of their diagnosis.

In addition to the benefit of better control over blood sugar, weight loss after a diabetes diagnosis will also reduce the risks of complications as a result of diabetes. Weight loss can reduce a diabetes sufferer’s risk of blindness, heart disease, kidney disease and circulation problems that could lead to amputation.

The unfortunate conundrum offered by a type 2 diabetes diagnosis is that, along with the insulin resistance, those diagnosed will begin to gain weight as their body stores glucose as fat and they will begin to have less energy since they are unable to utilize their insulin to convert their glucose to energy. This presents particular problems when one introduces the idea of weight loss and exercise as a possible treatment option.

Should one decide to add exercise and weight loss to their routine following a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, it will pay off. Eventually, the energy-increasing effect of exercise, and the reduction of stored fat cells and glucose will make it easier to fulfill your commitment to a healthier lifestyle.

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