Type-2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and is found in 90% of diabetic cases. Obesity is the leading cause for developing Type-2 diabetes, and often obesity and diabetes together are called diabesity.

 

 

How does obesity lead to diabetes?

Obese people are more likely to develop diabetes, which is a condition when you have excessive glucose in your blood. Controlling sugar level in blood is a job of pancreas which releases the hormone ‘insulin’. Insulin removes glucose from the blood and stores it in liver to provide energy in future.

When you are obese, the liver cells are filled with fat. They resist glucose coming in as there is no room for it. Now, glucose has nowhere to go, so it remains in the blood stream resulting in diabetes.

Due to insulin resistance, there is consistently increased glucose level in the blood, triggering the pancreas to release more insulin. Over time, the pancreas gets exhausted due to overworking and starts secreting less insulin, resulting in Type-2 Diabetes.

Let’s break it down to understand it better:

Insulin is a vital hormone that regulates blood sugar which is a complicated process. Here is what happens in the body:

• The moment you eat food, it goes to the stomach and intestine and is broken down into blood sugar.
• Sensing the presence of sugar in the blood, the pancreas releases insulin.
• Insulin helps the blood sugar enter the body cells so it can be used for energy.
• Insulin also helps the liver to store excess sugar for later use.
• When blood sugar enters the body cells, the sugar level decreases in the blood, resulting in a decrease in insulin.

But this advanced automated system collapses when:

• Excess sugar enters the blood.
• The pancreas has to pump more insulin.
• Over time, cells stop responding to insulin as they have become insulin resistant.
• The pancreas keeps secreting more insulin for cells to respond.
• Eventually, the pancreas gets exhausted, and blood sugar level keeps rising,setting the stage for prediabetes.

 

Prediabetes is a condition in which the blood sugar level is higher than normal but lower than diabetic condition. An interesting thing to note here is that you can prevent type-2 diabetes if you act on time during the prediabetes stage.

Most people have been in prediabetic conditions for years but are entirely unaware of it. This is where frequent health check-ups help and must be followed.

You must look for the following signs and symptoms for the prediabetic condition:

• Darkening around the neck
• Skin tags eruption
• Excessive hunger
• Irritability
• Tiredness and low-energy level

Other supporting symptoms are :

• Being overweight
• Your age is 45 years or older.
• Having a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
• Exercising for less than three times a week
• If you ever had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or given birth to a baby who weighed more than 4 kgs.
• Having polycystic ovary.

How to detect prediabetic condition?

We often miss out on detecting a prediabetic condition in our body due to a lack of awareness. Here are 10 common signs and symptoms to look for in prediabetic condition.

Here are the signs and symptoms to look for:

• Darkening around neck
• Skin tags
• Belly fat
• Mild anxiety
• Frequent fatigue
• Craving for sweets
• Mild depression
• Problem with focus and concentration
• Hard to lose weight
• Old tried diets no longer work

If even 3 to 4 of these symptoms persist in your body, it indicates the presence of a prediabetic condition involving insulin resistance.

Research has proven that diabetes and obesity go hand in hand. Currently, 30 percent of obese people have other diseases, and about 85% of people with diabetes are overweight.

Good news: A small amount of weight loss and lifestyle changes reduce the risk of diabetes by 40 to 60%.

A small yet consistent effort to eat the proper diet and an active lifestyle helps your DNA work optimally.

How to attain weight loss in diabetes?

The diabetic and general weight-loss diets work on almost the same principles.

Here are a few key points to follow to attain weight loss in diabetes:

• Reduce carbohydrates from your diet, especially refined carbs like bread, maida, sugar, and biscuits.
• Add plenty of fiber to your diet in the form of vegetables, methi, saunf, and jeera. Whole grains are a good source too.
• Add good quality fat to your diet in the form of nuts and seeds.
• Add good quality /high biological value protein sources like egg, soya, milk, and milk products.

In a nutshell, I would like to say that you need to consume plenty of ω-3, fiber, vegetables, plant-based proteins, antioxidants, and vitamins to attain fitness. Moreover, consuming less refined carbs and sugar always helps the body function better.

What’s fantastic to know is that by making small changes in our day-to-day choices, we get significant results.

We often take our health for granted until we lose it all. But you don’t have to lose anything to gain fitness. 

Imagine…..

What good is your status when you can’t even live and laugh peacefully?

What good is a Lamborghini if your back hurts when you sit in it?

What good is your career when you have to pop in a pill every day to be at work?

So, I feel that nothing else in this life matters more than good health. In the end, the one who lives healthily is the happiest in life.

‘Health is a positive state of mind which you need to build.’

Healthy Living!