Diabetes mellitus is a medical condition that is associated with the onset of disease, a major metabolic disorder in which the pancreas becomes incapable of producing sufficient amounts of insulin to keep glucose in the blood as well as to metabolize food. When the level of glucose in the blood starts to rise, the pancreas produces more insulin to counteract this rise. However, this causes the insulin to become less effective. Over time, this can result in diabetic ketoacidosis, or the body’s inability to control sugar levels, and could ultimately lead to death.
The best way to determine if you are at risk for diabetes is to assess your current situation. A person who is currently overweight is an obvious sign that there is already a tendency for diabetes to set in.
Obese women are particularly prone to diabetes, as they are likely to have excessive amounts of body fat. While obesity is not a direct cause of diabetes, it is a symptom. And a person’s weight can be measured by the body mass index or BMI. The greater the weight in pounds, the higher the BMI.
Obesity also predisposes people to complications such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, and diabetes, as the condition contributes to high blood glucose levels and insulin resistance. It is not necessary that you have diabetes to be overweight, but a person who is overweight is clearly at a greater risk of having diabetes since the condition is a hereditary condition.
Men and women who are overweight are four times more likely to experience high blood glucose levels than those who are not. Even a simple change in diet can help protect you from diabetes and from the complications that diabetes brings.
People who are overweight are more likely to experience poor self-care and to be at higher risk for other health conditions as well. The degree of your risk for diabetes is directly proportionate to the degree of your excess weight.
While exercise and proper nutrition are very important to good health, just maintaining a healthy weight is a start. Keeping your weight down helps the body to perform its normal functions better, which means less fat stores and more muscle mass. While it is sometimes difficult to control, maintaining a healthy weight reduces the risks for obesity-related health conditions such as diabetes.
In addition to a healthy weight, maintaining a normal body weight is one of the key elements in treating diabetes. The increased amount of exercise and proper nutrition with a lowered weight is the ideal.
It is a good idea to consult your doctor about your weight. Diabetes cannot be prevented, but it can be controlled. If you are concerned about your weight, you may want to consider a plan of action, including diet and exercise, to help get your body back on track.
Taking proper care of your health is very important. Diabetes does not only affect the heart, but the lungs, kidneys, and even the brain, so taking care of your body is a very important part of living with diabetes.
By taking these necessary steps you can manage your diabetes without affecting your health too much. It is a risk factor, but it can be managed.
