The Link between Diabetes and Obesity

Obesity is the condition of being overweight. This means that an individual has been eating too much food yet there is little or no instance of the excess glucose absorbed by the body being burned up as fuel for the body. This excess is thus stored as fat in the body. The stress caused is having too much of this stored fat in the body causing stress on many of the body’s organs affecting overall health.  Obesity is one of the primary causes of diabetes mellitus or Type II diabetes. Many of the organs of the body are forced to work double time to maintain normal levels because of the excess fat in the body. Thus the body experiences obesity related conditions such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia and sleep apnea. Another main concern is the impaired glucose tolerance by the body, impairing the pancreas in its production of the hormone insulin that leads to diabetes.

 

 

The Signs of Obesity

 

There is a way to determine if an individual is obese. This is called the measurement of one’s Body Mass Index or BMI. The BMI is a combination of an individual’s height and weight to determine if your weight is dangerous to your overall health. Having a BMI measurement of thirty (30) or higher places you at risk of many of the conditions associated with obesity. There are many body mass index tools available online to see if you fall within the healthy levels or are in the danger zone.

 

Another sign of obesity is your overall body structure. Those who carry much fat around the middle instead of the hips are more likely to be considered obese. In women, having a waist size of 35 inches makes the woman susceptible to obesity related diseases. In men, having a waist size of 40 inches or more increases the likelihood in contracting obesity related conditions.

 

One more sign of obesity may be genetic in nature. If you have family members who are considered as obese, then you may have the predisposition for the disease. This trait taken together with one’s eating and lifestyle habits can lead one down the road towards obesity.

 

Obesity is a cause for Diabetes

 

In a study conducted by scientists at the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute at the University of Denver, the biochemical connection between Type II diabetes and obesity has been found increasing the causal link between the two diseases. The study was published in the December 2003 edition of the Journal of Endocrinology and showed in laboratory tests in mice that the presence of a hormone in obese mice results in diabetes. The hormone is known as MSH and it is also present in humans. The study determined that the obese mice without the MSH hormone do not develop diabetes. Also, by administering the MSH hormone into healthy mice, resistance to insulin develops and blood sugar levels are affected. These results indicate that MSH is a factor in the development of Type II diabetes.

 

The study though was made on mice, so this begs the question, is the same phenomena applicable to humans? The duplication of the condition in humans can occur since it is the PMOC gene that produces the hormone MSH. This gene is also present in humans thus the condition can present itself in humans. According the study’s lead author, Dr Miles B Brennan, the study proves that high levels of the hormone MSH in humans may more likely lead to diabetes in obese people, compared to those with low MSH levels. The beneficial effect of this study is the possibility of finding preventive treatments for diabetes rather than just management of the disease by the intake of insulin.

 

The Current Status of Obesity and Diabetes

 

As further studies are being made on obese people and the number of diabetics amongst them, the bond between obesity and diabetes is further determined and established. The empirical evidence does not only lead to the conclusive co-relation between the two but also the degree of causality can be further established.

 

In the past decade, there has been an alarming increase in the number of obese people in the world. This is because of the increased consumption of foods that are high in carbohydrate and sugar content. There is also a great increase in the intake of high sugar content carbonated drinks making for more glucose in the bloodstream than what is normally needed. Also, the increasing modernity of the world has further entrenched a sedentary lifestyle in many causing people to be less active in their own lifestyles. The increased food intake with the lack of exercise results in fat being stored in the body. Too much fat in the body results in obesity as the body becomes too engorged in glucose that could not easily be processed, as the influx is greater than the capacity to metabolize the glucose. The pancreas is taxed and the presence of too much glucose in the body creates a condition known as insulin tolerance. This means that the glucose levels in the body have become customary so that there is a greater need for insulin in the body, which the overworked beta cells in the pancreas cannot make anymore, resulting in diabetes mellitus.

 

What Can Be Done for Obesity and Diabetes

 

Diabetes Mellitus or Type II diabetes is a preventable disease. Here are some of the sure steps in preventing Type II diabetes from developing in you.

 

• Healthy eating. Eat well-balanced meals in regular portions is the first step in preventing obesity and diabetes to occur. This means eating high protein and high fiber food and cutting down on high carbohydrate, high fat and high sugar food can help in making your body normal instead of obese.
• Exercise regularly. In order to burn up the excess fat stored in your body, exercise regularly. The exercise need not be a whole day affair but brisk walking can burn up the stored fat in the body to help in your overall metabolism.

Get Regular Check ups. Regular blood sugar monitoring and weight measurements can help in determining if you are obese or not. Also, this determines your body’s ability to metabolize blood glucose and foresee if you are on your way to contracting diabetes mellitus.

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Tagged as: diabetes, Food Intake, MSH Hormone, obesity, POMC Gene