Obesity Increases the Developing of Diabetes

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 65 percent of American adults are overweight or obese. The obesity rate has been climbing steadily over the last several years. Carrying extra weight increases the developing of diabetes.

The incidence of Type 2 diabetes is also increasing, in correlation with the rise in obesity. The American Diabetes Association estimates about 21 million people have diabetes, with another 54 million people diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a condition in which fasting blood glucose levels are elevated, but not yet to the level indicated for Type 2 diabetes. And obesity increases a person's risk of illness and death due to diabetes, stroke, coronary artery disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, and kidney and gallbladder disorders.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with insulin resistance. Insulin is an important hormone that delivers glucose (sugar) to our cells. When a person is overweight, the cells in the body become less sensitive to the insulin that is released from the pancreas. There is some evidence that fat cells are more resistant to insulin than muscle cells. If a person has more fat cells than muscle cells, then the insulin becomes less effective overall, and glucose remains circulating in the blood instead of being taken into the cells to be used as energy. Therefore obesity can increase the developing of diabetes.

Studies have shown that if someone already has diabetes, losing a moderate amount of weight can dramatically slow the progression of the disease. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels also benefit when just this small percentage of body weight is lost.

People who carry more weight around their waist -- an "apple-shape" -- are more likely to suffer from obesity related problems than someone who is "pear-shaped," or carries more weight in their hips and thighs. So people with diabetes should lose weight to further aggravate the condition of diabetes.