Can Obesity Be A Risk Factor For Diabetes?

Diabetes has become one of the most common health problems worldwide. It is a complex group of diseases which is caused by high blood glucose level in the body.

While type 1 diabetes may be caused because of family history, type 2 diabetes is mostly developed during middle-age and among older people who are also overweight or obese.

Diabetes which was once rare in youth, is becoming more common in overweight and obese children and adolescents. Type 2 diabetes is caused by a combination of factors, including insulin resistance, a condition in which the body's muscle, fat, and liver cells do not use insulin effectively.

No physical activity, obesity, and diabetes

There is a strong link between physical inactivity, obesity and development of type 2 diabetes. Note that, people who are genetically susceptible to type 2 diabetes are more vulnerable in the presence of these risk factors. Nearly, 80% people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.

An imbalance between caloric intake and physical inactivity can lead to obesity, which causes insulin resistance and is common in people with type 2 diabetes. Central obesity, in which a person has excess abdominal fat, is a major risk factor not only for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes but also for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This excess belly fat produces hormones and other substances that can cause harmful, chronic effects in the body such as damage to blood vessels.

What you can do is, measure your waist for assessing your risk of diabetes. This is a measure of abdominal obesity, which is a particularly high-risk form of obesity. Women have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes if their waist measures 80cm (31.5 inches) or more. Asian men with a waist size of 89cm (35 inches) or more have a higher risk, as do white or black men with a waist size of 94cm (37 inches) or more.

You can follow a few easy steps to control your weight and lower the risk of developing diabetes. Not only will these lifestyle changes dramatically lower the chances of developing diabetes, they will also cut down the chances of suffering from other life taking ailments.

Ways to keep obesity at bay:

• Put a full stop to sedentary lifestyle practices. Get moving!

• Exercise on regular basis. Go to the gym or practice yoga, pick your own form of physical activity.

• Stop eating junk or processed food. Both of these have high fat content and should be strictly avoided.  

• Choose whole grains over highly processed carbohydrates.

• Skip the sugary drinks, and choose water, coffee, or tea instead.

• Go for good fats instead of bad fats.

Staying active is really important for a healthy body and also for preventing diabetes. So, always take out time to walk or exercise and feel the difference in your life.