Diabetes is a disease that affects the way your body produces or uses insulin. When insulin isn’t working the way it should in your body, your blood sugar levels increase which causes serious health issues such as heart or kidney disease. Let’s take a look at the relationship between obesity and diabetes.

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Obesity can Lead to Diabetes

According to the American Diabetes Association, being overweight increases your risk for type 2 diabetes, along with heart disease and stroke. In fact, if you’re obese then you’re about 6 times more likely to develop diabetes than someone who is a healthy weight. When a person is obese, the levels of glycerol and other hormones in the body increase which contribute to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it so your cells can’t respond well to insulin and can’t easily absorb glucose from your blood. This can lead to the development of diabetes. Other factors play into this, such as family history, but weight and lifestyle are huge factors in developing diabetes. Luckily, with the right lifestyle changes you can reduce your risk.

Obesity and Diabetes are on the Rise

Society in general has seen a rise in obesity. There are many contributing factors to this and it is a complex issue, but a few main points can be directly linked to diabetes. People are eating more high-calorie and high-fat foods which leads to obesity and decreases their overall well-being. Additionally, people are less active, especially when they have a poor diet and are overweight. This combination of factors is directly linked to a rise in both obesity and diabetes.

Steps to Prevent Diabetes

Losing weight can help you prevent and manage diabetes. It doesn’t even need to be a lot to see significant improvements to your overall health, even losing 10 to 15 pounds can drastically change your life and reduce your risk for diabetes. Here are some other healthy lifestyle changes you can use to improve your overall well-being, lose weight, and prevent diabetes:

Cut back on calories and fat
Get plenty of exercise
Each nutritious meals
Track your progress

You won’t change your life overnight, but by taking small steps you can greatly reduce your risk for diabetes.

Living Better with Diabetes

Being diagnosed with diabetes can be scary, but there are things you can do to live well and manage your disease. Here are some things you can do to manage your life with diabetes:

Improve your diet and eat healthy foods
Try to be active every day
Monitor your blood sugar to ensure it stays in a healthy range
Always take your medicine, even if you aren’t feeling bad
Learn how to manage your stress
Regularly attend checkups with your doctor

Life can get busy but if you find a way to fit these into your life you’ll be surprised by how much better you will feel.

How Can WildberryMD Help

Obesity and diabetes may be part of your life, but they don’t have to control it! At WildBerryMD, we can help you with weight loss and lifestyle changes that will help you manage or prevent diabetes. Contact us today to learn more!