Diabetes and Obesity
The development of obesity is intimately linked to the body’s endocrine system, (1) (2) (3) especially the liver, (4) the pancreas (5) and adipose tissue (body-fat). Hormones act throughout the body to regulate the metabolism. (7)
There are two types of diabetes and both of them are related to obesity. (8) Type 1 diabetes is genetically transferred and often develops in children when they reach puberty. (9) The pancreas in a person with this condition is incapable of producing insulin, therefore the body has no way of regulating blood-sugar levels. Viruses and autoimmune responses may also play a role in this type of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can develop in anybody as a result of obesity. (10) In this situation, the pancreas is producing so much insulin because of the extremely high triglycerides in the bloodstream, (11) that eventually the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a very serious condition that ultimately leads to death.
Type 1 diabetes and obesity
Insulin is usually a product of the human pancreas, but because people who suffer from type 1 diabetes cannot produce any, the substance must be injected into the bloodstream at regular intervals. (12) Insulin also has the property of making fat cells grow in the place where the injection is used, so people with type 1 diabetes have a high chance of becoming obese as they inject insulin into mostly their legs and nowadays especially into their abdominal area. (13) This is particularly risky for men, because abdominal fat has been shown to cause a variety of conditions such as heart disease, liver- and kidney-failure as well as some forms of cancer. (14) Type 1 diabetics are advised to change their diets completely to reduce blood-sugar and to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle in order to promote muscle gain instead of fat gain. (15)
Type 2 diabetes and obesity
Type 2 diabetes operates largely in the same manner as type 1 diabetes, however, the disease develops because the body has become resistant to the effects of insulin. (16) When there is too much body-fat in a human who is obese, then certain problems can arise. First of all, leptin, a hormone that is released by the adipose tissue, usually is formed to regulate appetite. (17) However, if there is too much body-fat in a person, then they can become desensitized to the effect of leptin and experience an uncontrolled appetite. (18) The vicious circle has begun and more and more weight gets put on. At the same time, the body is busy storing fat from all the food that is being consumed. Fat is stored through a process that converts basically all carbohydrates we consume into sugar known as glucose. (19) The liver first stores the excess glucose, but then it begins to branch out and deposit it in the form of fat cells all around the body. (20) For men, most of this fat seems to develop above the waistline while for women, it develops around the hips and thighs. (21) The result of having so much fat on the body is not only an uncontrolled appetite due to a raging leptin hormone level, but additionally, as the pancreas creates more insulin to manage the high triglyceride content in the bloodstream, it eventually cannot handle the amount any more and the body becomes desensitized to the effects of insulin. This is a dangerous condition, because the body’s pH must remain at a stable level. (22) If their is too much acidity in the bloodstream, as a result of a high sugar content, then it results in a quick and painful death. Type 2 diabetics must inject more insulin than their pancreas can produce in order to prevent their blood from turning acidic, a condition also known as ketoacidosis. (23)
Diagnosis and cure of diabetes; management
For people with type 1 diabetes, there is no real cure. Pancreas transplants have been attempted and have resulted in some successes. But it’s quite possible to manage the amount of insulin needed by living a healthy lifestyle that promotes a lean body mass as opposed to an overweight one. If the pancreas is still producing insulin, but not enough, the amount and frequency of insulin injections can be reduced over time by aggressively losing weight and keeping that weight off. Changing eating habits that promote a healthier diet can also result in great success at this. At some point though, the insulin in the blood will not be enough and the stores of insulin must be replenished by using injections of insulin.
Sufferers of type 2 diabetes are at very great risk of death from ketoacidosis. It can be said nowadays that almost everyone who remains obese and doesn’t do anything about their blood sugar levels will develop diabetes; so in essence obesity is an early-onset symptom of diabetes. Obesity and even being overweight to some extent is a serious medical condition and should be aggressively fought by any methods possible.
Fighting diabetes and obesity
People who suffer from obesity not only have a very high chance of developing type 2 diabetes, but they are also at great risk of many other diseases and conditions, such as heart disease, pulmonary embolisms, deep vein thrombosis, a host of cancers that can develop in the liver, stomach, kidneys, bladder and other organs. (25) Lower back pain, spinal problems and problems with walking have also been related to obesity and when these pains start hitting it can be said that the patient is already at the critical stages where type 2 diabetes may develop.
Perhaps the best way to fight diabetes is by altering one’s lifestyle completely. Healthy and nutritious food should be consumed, with an adequate amounts of protein, fat and carbohydrates. It should be kept in mind though, that carbohydrates are all converted into glucose through the digestive process, so if a person is already suffering from high blood-sugar levels then a diet rich in carbohydrates may not be the best approach. What’s needed is an understanding of how the metabolism works, how cholesterol functions, how muscle cells are built instead of fat cells, and how exercise and working out contributes to this entire process. Once you successfully understand these mechanisms, you can begin to alter the parts of your lifestyle that lead you on the path to obesity and diabetes before it’s too late.
---
(1) Obesity and hormones, Better Health Channel, Government of Victoria, Australia, 2010. Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Obesity_and_hormones?open
(2) Obesity and the endocrine system., Frawley TF., Psychiatr Clin North Am. 1984 Jun;7(2):299-306., Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6473185
(3) Endocrine manifestations of the rapid-onset obesity with hypoventilation, hypothalamic, autonomic dysregulation, and neural tumor syndrome in childhood., Bougnères P, Pantalone L, Linglart A, Rothenbühler A, Le Stunff C. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Oct;93(10):3971-80. Epub 2008 Jul 15. Retreived July 12th, 2011, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18628522
(4) Body Fat, the Silent Killer, Obesity Can Lead to Fatty Liver...a Silent Killer, Dennis Lee, MD, Jay W. Marks, MD, Medicinenet.com. Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=46582
(5) Obesity, Jerry R. Balentine, DO. FACEP and Ruchi Mathur, MD, Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Medicinenet.com. Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://www.medicinenet.com/obesity_weight_loss/article.htm
(6) Adipose tissue, Wikipedia. Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adipose_tissue
(7) Adipose tissue hormones., Guerre-Millo M., J Endocrinol Invest. 2002 Nov;25(10):855-61.Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12508947
(8) Diabetes, National Center for Biotechnology Information, May 10, 2010. Retrieved July 12th, 2011.
(9) Type 1 diabetes, National Center for Biotechnology Information, May 10, 2010. Retrieved July 12th, 2011.
(10) Type 2 diabetes, National Center for Biotechnology Information, May 10, 2010. Retrieved July 12th, 2011.
(11) Tissue triglycerides, insulin resistance, and insulin production: implications for hyperinsulinemia of obesity,. Kazunori Koyama1, Guoxun Chen1, Young Lee1, and Roger H. Unger1,2, 19 June 1997.. Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/273/4/E708.short
(12) Intensive diabetes treatment and cardiovascular disease in patients with type 1 diabetes, Nathan, DM; Cleary, PA; Backlund, JY; Genuth, SM; Lachin, JM; Orchard, TJ;Raskin, P; Zinman, B, The New England Journal of Medicine, 2005-12-22, Retrieved July 12th, 2011, https://repository.unm.edu/handle/1928/2372.
(13) Chronic exposure of rat fat cells to insulin enhances lipolysis and activation of partially purified hormone-sensitive lipase., Kang ES, Betts D, Fain JN, Bahouth SW, Myers LK., Diabetes. 1993 Oct;42(10):1415-24. Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8397127
(14) Belly fat in men: Why weight loss matters, Michael Jensen, M.D., The Mayo Clinic. Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/belly-fat/MC00054
(15) Type 1 diabetes, National Center for Biotechnology Information, May 10, 2010. Retrieved July 12th, 2011.
(16) Type 2 diabetes, National Center for Biotechnology Information, May 10, 2010. Retrieved July 12th, 2011.
(17) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptin. Retrieved 24th June, 2011
(18) Serum immunoreactive-leptin concentrations in normal-weight and obese humans. Considine RV, Sinha MK, Heiman ML, Kriauciunas A, Stephens TW, Nyce MR, Ohannesian JP, Marco CC,McKee LJ, Bauer TLThe New England Journal of Medicine [1996, 334(5):292-5]
(19) Citric-acid cycle, Wikipedia. Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid_cycle
(20) Liver, Wikipedia. Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver
(21) Why are Women the Fatter Sex?, MedicineNet.com. Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=8519
(22) Diabetic ketoacidosis, PubMedHealth, April 19, 2010. Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001363/
(23) Ketoacidosis, Wikipedia. Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketoacidosis
(24) Overweight and Obesity, Health Consequences, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved July 12th, 2011, http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/causes/health.html