Take action to beat type 2 diabetes now!

Written by Hope Warshaw   

We are pleased to welcome guest writer, Hope Warshaw, a nationally recognized and respected nutrition and diabetes expert.

You’ve likely heard the chatter about the rising rates of type 2 diabetes. You’ve also likely heard there’s a strong connection between carrying extra pounds and type 2 diabetes — it’s true!

Obesity and type 2 diabetes have been described as the twin epidemics of the 21st century. These U.S. stats tell the story:

• about 17 million people have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
• another 5 million people have type 2 diabetes that has not yet been diagnosed
• 57 million people — about one-sixth of the population — have pre-diabetes (when blood glucose is higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes)
• 133 million people are overweight

Get the picture?

Here’s the connection: Excess pounds set off a cascade of events in which those extra fat cells produced by extra pounds put out substances that cause a constant state of inflammation. The body’s response? Insulin resistance, which makes it harder for the body to use the insulin you make, and forces the cells in your pancreas that make insulin (beta cells) to make even more insulin.

As insulin resistance worsens, it causes problems way before blood glucose rises too high — low HDL, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea, for starters. Eventually the beta cells in your pancreas poop out and can no longer keep up with the demand for insulin. It’s then that blood glucose has risen high enough to diagnose pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. You may have heard this same situation called Metabolic Syndrome? Same scenario, different name.

This series of events is slow and subtle and can take upwards of a decade to progress. The bad news is that way too many people are unaware of the busy work their body is up to and healthcare providers often overlook the obvious and wait until the situation worsens and type 2 diabetes is diagnosed.

But there is good news. You can take action now to prevent (or at least delay) type 2 diabetes and improve a lot more than just your blood glucose. It’s simple, yes, but oh so hard to do: lose a few pounds and keep them off.

A well known study called the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) conducted on people with pre-diabetes through the National Institutes of Health, showed that losing 5 to 7 percent of your weight (an average of 15 pounds) by lightening up on calories and fat grams as well as physical activity of 150 minutes per week helped people prevent/delay progressing from pre-diabetes to type 2. And just recently a follow-up study to the DPP, the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS), showed that the people who kept at least some of their weight off (at least 4 pounds) over 10 years were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

So, there’s no need to get back to your figure of yesteryear. But you do need to keep at least some of the weight off for the long haul. That, no doubt, is a big challenge today and it’s exactly what Skinnyandthecity.com is all about – offering you skills, strategies and support. Also learn more at stopdiabetes.com.

Beyond excess pounds, other risk factors heighten your odds for developing type 2 diabetes, such as family history, having had diabetes during pregnancy and more. Take the American Diabetes Association Risk Test to get a read on your risks.

If you or your loved ones are at risk for type 2 diabetes, take action NOW. But don’t go looking for a magic bullet diet. Instead take the tried and true lifestyle change approach. Set a few goals at a time and make changes for good. Don’t wait to develop type 2 diabetes. Take simple actions starting today to put the insulin resistance free fall into reverse.