Obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes As such, the rising prevalence of obesity by epidemic proportions is fuelling the diabetes and obesity link, and many people are suffering from “diabesity”. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can therefore not only help prevent obesity, but also diabesity.
Diabesity – the Obesity and Diabetes Epidemic
The obesity epidemic is rapidly expanding, with the prevalence of obesity in adults having more than doubled in the past 20 years, from 12% in 1989 to 27% in 2008. As such, obesity is described as one of the fastest growing healthcare problems in the USA,
Obesity and its associated conditions lead to a reduced quality of life and reduced life expectancy. Nonetheless, as the obesity epidemic continues to rise, so does the incidence of related conditions. Of note is the prevalence of obesity and diabetes continuing to rise by epidemic proportions. The term now used for people who suffer from both obesity and diabetes is “diabesity.”
Associated Complications and Life-threatening Conditions of Obesity and Diabetes
Comorbid (life-threatening) conditions that may be associated with obesity include coronary heart disease, hypertension and stroke. Obesity has also been linked to osteoarthritis and even certain cancers.
Obesity and being overweight are also major risk factors for diabetes. The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes, which affects around 90% of all diabetes sufferers. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin for the body’s needs – insulin is required to carry the glucose from our blood to our cells to be used as energy. Therefore, if not managed properly, diabetes patients may suffer from elevated blood sugar levels, which can be detrimental to their health. Complications that can arise from diabetes include nerve damage, kidney disease, heart disease and vision complications.
Of note is cardiovascular disease. which is one of the leading causes of death from obesity and diabetes. For obese people, the risk of dying as a result of associated comorbid conditions, such as this, or any other condition can be as much as two fold higher than that for people who are of a healthy weight.
As a result of the rising diabesity epidemic, increasing costs are placed on healthcare funds as more people with diabetes and obesity suffer from these associated comorbid conditions and complications.
Diabesity Prevention
Being overweight or obese is one of the major risk factors for diabetes. The risk for diabetes also increases due to lifestyle factors such as high blood pressure, lack of physical exercise, a poor diet or abdominal obesity (where extra weight is carried around the waist); these are also risk factors for obesity. Diabetes can also result from genetic factors.
As such, it is estimated that up to 60% of diabetes cases can be prevented through employing healthy lifestyle measures, such as a healthy diet and regular physical exercise. These measures can also be taken to prevent obesity. and there is strong evidence that weight loss in obese and overweight people, can reduce the risk for diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease, the major cause of death in both obese and diabetic people.
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Sources:
Diabetes Australia 2009, Type 2 Diabetes, accessed 29th November /2009
National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 1998, ’Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults—The Evidence Report.’, September 1998
Rogers et al., 2009, Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes,Obesity Action Coalition, 2009 (accessed 5th December 2009)
Christine Redmond - My interest in science and healthcare has seen me working in the laboratory with tiny cells and DNA to helping set up a cancer clinical ...
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