Being over weight and obese are the two main causes for most life style diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke. Abdominal obesity and increased waist circumference especially have a strong association with type 2 diabetes. The key to preventing these diseases boils down to “Staying Fit and Active”.
Clinical experience and a number of studies have clearly demonstrated that lifestyle modifications like increased physical activity and diet control can dramatically reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Excess weight is the single most important cause of type 2 diabetes. Being overweight increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes seven fold. Being obese makes you 20 to 40 times more likely to develop diabetes than someone with a healthy weight. Especially, abdominal obesity [ Visceral fat ] which is a hallmark of unhealthiness is more dangerous than any other factor.
WAIST SIZE MATTERS…
Waist circumference is a better estimate of visceral fat ( fat surrounding the liver and other abdominal organs ) and it is is a better predictor of cardiovascular risk, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Visceral fat releases fatty acids, inflammatory agents, and hormones that ultimately lead to higher LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, and blood pressure. Large waist ( more visceral fat inside the abdomen ) can increase the risk of premature cardiovascular disease and death.
The waist circumference at which there is an increased relative risk is defined as… Men: >102 cm ( >40 in.) ; Women: >88 cm ( >35 in.)
Even modest weight reduction can reduce the progression of IGT (impaired glucose tolerance) to diabetes by 50-55%. Losing 7-10% of your current weight can cut your chances of developing type 2 diabetes by 60%. Even in established diabetes patients the weight reduction will help to keep the blood sugar under control with minimum medicines.
Exercise will help promote weight loss, but it seems to work best when combined with a low calorie intake. If you don’t cut your calories, you need to work out more for longer periods or at a higher intensity, to lose weight. You should aim for the reduction of at least 5-7% of the total body weight, with moderate intensive physical activity of at least 150 minutes per week. In other words, if you are weighing 100kg, the weight reduction goal of 5-7 kg, should be achieved with regular physical activity of 30-60 minutes per day, for at least 5 days in a week.
This will help you to loose weight, if not maintain your weight which is very important for keeping you in good health. Even if you are not able to reduce your overall weight, try to lose few centimetres of waist circumference, it will do lot of good for your cause.
WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY (BARIATRIC SURGERY )…
Weight loss surgery will make a big difference for people with morbid obesity, who want to reduce the risk of diabetes or want to cure diabetes. This surgery can be considered for patients with morbid obesity (BMI > 35) as a last option after all other measures fails.
Make time for it. Just get it done. Nobody ever got strong or got in shape by thinking about it. They did it – Jim Wendler.