Managing diabetes can be challenging, but the good news is that recent studies suggests that losing up to 5 to 10 percent of your body weight, can help you improve Type 2 diabetes and in some cases reverse this condition.
Here’s how:
What is type 2 diabetes?
New research suggests that people who lost 10 percent of their body fat in the first five years following a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis were more than twice as likely to put the disease into remission than those who maintained their weight. Nudging down the number on the scale by just 5 to 10 percent has been shown to help some people reduce the amount of diabetes medication they need.
1. Improved Insulin Resistance
With type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t properly respond to the insulin produced by the pancreas which causes your blood glucose (sugar) levels to increase. This is called insulin resistance and it’s often linked to excess weight.
Losing weight, especially body fat and abdominal fat, will help make the body better respond to the insulin produced and allow the insulin resistance to decrease. Studies have shown that insulin resistance improves as a result of weight loss because the inflammatory responses in the muscles decreases. So, when insulin resistance goes down, it will help to better control diabetes and contribute to improved health.
2. Lower Blood Pressure and Improve Cholesterol
High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels are common conditions among people with Type 2 diabetes. High blood pressure can lead to damaging artery walls and having too much LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides, another blood fat, can lead to build upon the damaged artery walls and further complications.
Carrying excess weight adds to the problem.
Losing weight can lower your risk of developing high cholesterol, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. Recent studies shows that those who lost 5 to 10 percent of their body weight significantly lowered their total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.
3. Reduced Risk of Sleep Apnoea
Diabetes also increases the chance you’ll experience sleep apnoea, a sleep disorder that presents as abnormal breathing during sleep. It is estimated that about 5 percent of Australians have sleep apnoea with around 1 in 4 men over the age of 30 affected.
Research has found that weight loss can help improve obstructive sleep apnoea. Sleep loss leads to increased insulin resistance, so having a restful night’s sleep may also help you better control your blood sugar and overall health.
4. Improved Mobility
According to a previous study, people with Type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to have mobility related issues as people who don’t have the disease and that it increases as the level of obesity and physical inactivity increases.
An intensive lifestyle intervention that results in weight loss and improves fitness will help slow the loss of mobility for those suffering with Type 2 diabetes and make day to day activities easier.
5. Delay in Disease Progression
According to Diabetes Australia, two million Australians have pre-diabetes and are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Without sustained lifestyle changes, including healthy eating, increased activity and losing weight, approximately 5-10% of people with pre-diabetes will go on to develop type 2 diabetes each year.
Evidence shows type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed in up to 58 per cent of cases by maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active and following a healthy eating plan. Many people don’t know they are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Diet plays an important role in managing type 2 diabetes
Making lifestyle changes that you can sustain is critical for weight management and also preventing chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes from eventuating.
The Doctor’s prescribed weight loss program is managed by General Practitioners and revolutionises health and fat loss by providing a structured, measurable and medically controlled weight loss programs. Our program allows us to understand a patient’s vital stats and their risk for developing a chronic disease with the latest advanced bio-electrical impedance analysis. This analysis gives you an understanding of your current body fat %, muscle mass, BMR at rest (the number of calories your body burns at rest) and your biological age.
We use our calorie and portion controlled healthy meals as a tool to help you understand the types of food you should eat and the portion sizes that are appropriate for you coupled with a daily resistance training plan to help you make lifestyle changes that you can sustain.
Diabetes can be better managed with healthy eating combined with regular physical activity and weight management.
To find out more about the Doctor's Program or to book in with one of our Doctors click here.