Recent estimates suggest that 95% of type 2 diabetes sufferers are overweight. For the vast majority of these people, their obesity is directly linked to their lifestyle. Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition but it can be managed, often resulting in reversing the condition. Why are overweight people prone to diabetes? And, what can they do about it?
Diabetes is a result of excessive levels of glucose in the blood. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces sufficient insulin to convert glucose in the blood into energy and carry it into the body cells where used. In overweight people, the large amount of fat cells that they have in their bodies resist the action of insulin. The result is excessive levels of glucose in the blood.
One in three Americans is obese, twice as many three decades ago. That is not surprising when the US’s Centre For Disease Control reported in 2004 that adult American women are eating 335 more calories per day and adult American men 168 more calories per day than they did in 1971. Because type 2 diabetes is linked directly to one’s lifestyle, improving a poor lifestyle particularly in respect of diet and exercise can bring about positive results in return for some modest changes of habit. So what can overweight people do to reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes?
Their first challenge is to reduce their weight to a healthy level. Being overweight or obese is a matter of taking in more calories then are used. Most overweight and obese people are out of caloric balance, but only by a small amount of calories per day. A 250 calorie deficit per day will subtract 26 pounds a year. The best way to do that is to eat healthily, but control portion sizes and reduce the number of calories consumed.
Successful slimmers recommend eating six small healthy meals a day instead of the usual two or three large meals. They include a minimum of five different types of fruits and vegetables in their daily diet, at least one of which should be a green vegetable. Drinking about two litres of water over the course of the day also aids weight loss and keeps the body properly hydrated.
Foods with a high fat content, large amounts of salt or that are highly processed should be avoided; as should fried food. Sweetened carbonated drinks contain a surprisingly large number of hidden calories.
The second challenge is to become more physically active. The main benefits are that by doing so you burn up more calories, which aids weight loss and that you improve your overall health.
Making these small, but significant, lifestyle changes will improve your health and result in you losing weight. As you lose weight you have fewer fat cells to resist the insulin your body produces converting the glucose in your blood into energy. In other words you will become progressively less insulin resistant.
An important, but often neglected aspect of any natural remedy is your mental outlook. The aphorism as a man thinketh in his heart, so he is applies equally to your health as to any other aspect of your life. Keeping a positive outlook in life will have a significant beneficial effect on your condition.
All these aspects contribute to a healthier lifestyle that addresses the root cause of type 2 diabetes. They don’t cost much but they do require a little effort, some self-discipline and a willingness to do something positive about your condition.
Robert Reddin has been a freelance writer for more than 7 years and has numerous off-line and on-line articles to his credit. His interest in diabetes arose when a close family member was diagnosed with the condition. You can find more information about treating diabetes here. To visit my blog, Diabetes Diet Breakthrough Click Here.
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