What Is My Risk For Diabetes
While physicians and researchers have established a link between obesity and Type 2 diabetes, genetics and environment play a huge role in determining who will develop diabetes. While this relationship is not completely understood by doctors and researchers, what we do think is that your genes and environment contribute to your baseline risk of developing diabetes. If you are obese, you can reduce this risk by eating a low-fat, low-sugar diet and exercising regularly.
Remember That Theres No Best Diet
Theres only what works best for you. And that can change over time.
A universal, one-size-fits-all, miracle diet would make good nutrition simpler. Unfortunately, it doesnt exist.
What matters most for fat lossand any other health pursuitis finding an eating pattern that feels reasonable, sustainable, and yes, enjoyable.
And surely thats a model that everyone can agree on.
What Happens In The Case Of Insulin Resistance:
– A large amount of sugar enters the blood stream
– Our body responds by signaling our pancreas to release a larger amount of insulin.
– Insulin travels to our cells to tell them to open and take in sugar.
– Instead of opening and taking in the sugar, our cells ignore or resist the insulin.
– Our pancreas reacts by producing more insulin to attempt to get our cells to respond.
– If our cells are not taking in the sugar, then it remains in our blood stream leading to higher blood sugars.
– Eventually our pancreas cannot keep up and blood sugar levels continue to rise putting us at risk for prediabetes and eventually diabetes.
Don’t Miss: Type 2 Diabetes Would Be Considered An
How To Tell If You Are Insulin Resistant
Other than weight gain and fat that you just cant get rid of, there arent many major symptoms until insulin resistance progresses to diabetes.
Some people develop dark spots on their armpits, neck, or back, but only if the insulin resistance is severe.
Most people who are insulin resistant report feeling tired, and having an increased appetitewhich are unfortunately pretty vague symptoms.
You know your body best thoughso if you feel more tired than you should, and you have a hard time feeling satiated or refreshed after a meal, check your blood sugar.
Blood tests can confirm if you are insulin resistant, and we do recommend checking in with your doctor to make sure you havent developed a more serious health condition.
Just make sure to request a check of your A1C levels, since standard blood panels may not include that test.
If you cant get to the doctor right away, the next best way to check for insulin resistance is simply to try the insulin resistance diet, and see how your body reacts.
Weight Loss For Diabetics
Losing weight can make a big difference for people with diabetesit can lower glucose levels in the blood, which may decrease the effects of diabetes and make the condition more manageable. But there are added complications and risks, too. For example, making big changes to your diet can cause serious problems. One of these is hypoglycemia, when your blood sugar goes so low that you risk the danger of going into a diabetic coma. If you have diabetes, you have to be especially careful about your weight loss plan.
Recommended Reading: Is Diabetes 2 An Autoimmune Disease
What Does Insulin Sensitivity Mean
Insulin sensitivity describes how sensitive your bodys cells are in response to insulin.
When you have low insulin sensitivity you have insulin resistance and need more insulin.
When you have high insulin sensitivity you need smaller amounts of insulin.
High insulin sensitivity means you need less insulin to move the glucose out of your bloodstream. So, is it good to be insulin sensitive? Yes! When youre insulin sensitive, you are very efficient at using less insulin to clear the glucose from your bloodstream.
Low insulin sensitivity, or insulin resistance, can lead to type 2 diabetes. We are all unique individuals and our insulin sensitivity can change over time. Our lifestyle and diet play a role in how sensitive we are to insulin.
There are a few things you can do to change your level of insulin sensitivity. You can:
- Exercise move more throughout the day.
- Get more sleep even just one more hour per night can help.
- Dietary changes eat fewer carbs, more unsaturated fats, and more fiber.
- Supplementation add a probiotic and omega 3.
- Intermittent fasting reduces insulin resistance.
Keep Blood Sugar Levels Steady And Even
Big swings in blood sugar can lead to weight gain, so the best approach is to try to keep levels steady, says McClain. When blood sugar is low, you get a signal that youre really hungry. In this situation, we teach people to have a snack containing 15 grams of carbohydrate, to bring their sugar level up. People who tend to have frequent drops in their blood sugar may actually be overeating to treat these dips, which can lead to gaining weight, he adds.
Jensen says the goal to the extent you can manage it is to live in harmony with your insulin. You dont have to eat the same exact food every day, or do the exact same activities, but its a good idea to aim for some regularity so your levels arent swinging around wildly from day to day. Thats what can get people into trouble, he says.
Also Check: Whats A Good A1c For A Type 2 Diabetes
Does Insulin Cause Weight Gain
Insulin therapy to manage blood sugar levels can contribute to weight gain. This can be concerning for many people who have diabetes because increased weight can make diabetes more difficult to manage.
Research shows that even just a 10% weight loss can increase insulin sensitivity in people who are overweight, so weight gain could make you more resistant to insulin.
There are ways that you can prevent weight gain while on insulin, and it’s even possible to lose weight while taking insulin.
How Intermittent Fasting Works
Heres an example. Say you eat 1500 calories throughout your day. Each time you eat, your pancreas releases insulin. The insulin shuttles the glucose to your cells and you use it for energy. If you dont need all that energy during your day, your body will store it for later. If you are eating a little here and a little there, all through the day, your insulin level will stay elevated and you will not need to tap into your fat stores.
What if, instead of eating 1500 calories throughout your day, you eat them in a more condensed time. This is often called time restricted eating. Heres how it works: You choose a window of time where you will eat. Most people start with an eight-hour eating window. During those eight hours, you eat your meals. Once the eight hours are over, you stop eating.
If you are eating during eight hours of the day, that means there are sixteen hours of the day where you are not eating. This is your fasting window. During your fasting window, your insulin levels drop. Once you use all the energy from your food, your body switches to using energy stored in your fat cells. Using stored energy from your fat cells helps you lose the weight youve been holding on to.
A combination of intermittent fasting and an insulin resistance diet will help you lose weight consistently and in a healthy way. And thats what were all looking for, right?
Don’t Miss: How Can I Get Checked For Diabetes
How Does Elevated Insulin Contribute To Weight Gain
When there is a lot of excess insulin and blood sugar in our blood stream, it signals our body to put that excess sugar in storage. We can store some sugar in our liver and muscles, however, when these are full our body start to store the extra sugar as fat. This of course starts to cause weight gain.
Its The Key To Unlocking Long Term Weight Loss
Fad diets rarely work in helping people lose weight for good because theyre going after the wrong things eliminate food groups for the wrong reasons, focus too much on fast-tracking the progress instead of making them sustainable, promote severe calorie restrictions, and going to the gym every day.
Now, theres nothing wrong with seeing fast results, but why not get REAL results fast instead? The key to unlocking long-term weight loss is reversing insulin resistance. How do you do that? You need to eat food that wont trigger your glucose and insulin levels to spike. That means focusing on foods with a low-medium glycemic index!
We know it doesnt sound very easy, especially if youre starting, but weve got good news for you!
You May Like: Reversing Diabetes With Plant Based Diet
Type 2 Diabetes Medications That Can Help You Lose Weight
Did you know that some of the diabetes medications you take can cause you to gain weight or lose weight? Yes, this is been scientifically proven. This weight effect is something we doctors consider when deciding which medications to prescribe to our patients. In this article, Ill give you a quick introduction to type 2 diabetes medications, and point out which are the ones that can cause weight changes.
For anyone who is living with diabetes, we are in relatively exciting times. Back about 10 15 years ago, there were only a small handful of medications for diabetes insulin, metformin, sulphonylureas. Today, we have better understanding of the various mechanisms that lead to diabetes and this has resulted in an explosion of new medications at least 10 different classes, each of them targeting a different mechanism of action and organ in our body that contributes to high blood glucose levels.
With so many options of therapy available, there is no longer an excuse for a person with diabetes not to have their glycated haemoglobin at acceptable levels.
Heres a short list of type 2 diabetes medications, in rough order of newness:
- SGLT-2 Inhibitors
- Acarbose
- Insulins
Exercise Helps Insulin And Weight Loss
Exercise also helps you control your insulin. And, thus, lose weight.
While the full benefits and mechanisms of insulin and exercise deserve a significant amount of attention on their own, just know that intense exercise helps you regulate your insulin. Intense exercise…
Emptying your muscles of glycogen means than when you eat carbs, and the carbs cause insulin to be released into your body, your body stores blood sugar in your muscles instead of in fat. And regular exercise makes your muscles more sensitive to insulin so that your body releases less insulin to store blood sugar in your muscles – which means less insulin to potentially store blood sugar as fat.
Recommended Reading: Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Quickly
Your Feelings About Food
The emotional part of trying to lose weight is important and can often be overlooked.
Do you feel guilty when you eat a treat? Do you eat more when youre upset? Do you feel dejected if you cant see progress straight away?These are really common feelings and tackling them can help you on the road to a healthier lifestyle and a healthy weight.
Connect with others and share tips in our online forum weve made a board especially for people who are looking to lose weight.
Does Insulin Decrease Your Metabolism
Metabolism is highly related to body size. People with larger bodies generally have higher resting metabolic rates than people with smaller bodies.27
So, when people lose weight, their metabolic rate decreases. But typically, this reduction is even greater than what youd expect from the change in body mass alone.27
This is known as metabolic adaptation , and its perhaps one reason its hard to sustain weight loss. Your body requires fewer calories to maintain your new weight than someone whos been that same weight most of their adult life.
According to the carbohydrate-insulin model, high-carb dietsand elevated insulin levelsare responsible for this metabolic adaptation.14
The hypothesis: Because insulin directs fatty acids out of the bloodtoward fat cells and away from more metabolically active tissues like musclethe result is a decreased metabolic rate.
This, however, is in conflict with research that shows insulin increases fatty acid uptake in muscle.28
On the flip side, the hypothesis proposes that low-carb dietsdue to their insulin-lowering effectprovide more fuel for metabolically active tissue. This keeps your metabolism stoked, like throwing wood on a fire.
And its what advocates for the carbohydrate-insulin model term a metabolic advantage.
But is this really what happens? Does a low-carb diet actually increase your metabolism compared to a high-carb diet?
Lets see what human studies can tell us.
Recommended Reading: Best Way To Eat For Diabetes
Eat About The Same Amount Of Food Every Day
Skipping meals may make you feel extra hungry and cause you to overeat later on. Missing meals can also lead to low blood sugar if you dont adjust your insulin dose. But eating smaller meals throughout the course of your day can help you keep your appetite, blood sugar, and weight under control.
With additional reporting by Andrea Peirce
Take A Closer Look At Your Medications
If you arent able to offset weight gain by reducing calorie intake and adding more activities, try evaluating what type of insulin youre taking. Insulin analogs are may cause less weight gain.
Some medications for type 2 diabetes may cause weight loss, as a side benefit. You may discuss with your medical providers if using these medications is appropriate for you. And if used, how to adjust your insulin dosage.
The reverse is true as well. If youre taking other diabetes medications with your insulin, find out if weight gain is a side effect of those medications too. Ask your doctor if another medication might be appropriate for you.
You May Like: What To Give Diabetic With Low Blood Sugar
The One Number To Track To Lose Weight Its Not Calories
Hallmark Health Medical Associates
Ive met with patients who come into my office in tears, frustrated because yet another diet plan has failed. Many of these patients come in weighing more than they did when they started their diet plans.
I feel for them I also was overweight not too long ago. But I found an easy, healthy way to lose weight fast and improve my overall health. I simply started paying attention to the glycemic index of my food.
The glycemic index is a number that tells you how much your blood sugar will go up after eating a particular food. This method is sometimes called the diabetic diet because its similar to the way people with diabetes choose which foods to eat. There are no gimmicks, no measuring or weighing of food and no counting calories when you follow the glycemic index for weight loss.
Does Obesity Cause Diabetes
There is clearly a link between Type 2 diabetes and obesity, and researchers around the world are working to solve the puzzle of how the two are connected. Some scientists think there is a connection between body fat and hormones that regulate appetite and insulin levels. When you lose weight, and reduce your body fat, you may have better control over your diabetes.
Read Also: Is Atkins Safe For Diabetics
A Special Note On Grains And Insulin
Simply, your body doesn’t have the ability to really metabolize grains yet. Humans only started eating them around the time of the agricultural revolution, about 10,000 – 12,000 years ago – pretty late in terms of evolutionary history!
Grains have the major advantage of being easily produced in bulk and that being able to feed lots of people. But they generally cause high levels of insulin production, and nutritionally they aren’t very helpful – which is the reason they are fortified with minerals and vitamins.
So, for controlling insulin and weight loss success, remove most grains from your diet.
How Is Insulin Related To Weight Gain And Diabetes
Insulin is a hella important hormone thats produced in the pancreas. It plays a major role in regulating your blood sugar . It also stimulates fat, liver, and muscle cells to absorb sugar during digestion. Insulin resistance is when these cells dont react to insulin like theyre supposed to.
If left unchecked, insulin resistance can lead to prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance also causes you to store body fat much more easily. This can make it harder to lose weight and might also make you gain weight.
Also Check: How Can You Cure Diabetes
It Doesnt Matter What You Believe About Insulin Carbohydrates Or Fat
That might sound extreme, but what you believe doesnt change whats needed to lose fat and keep it off :
- Eat less energy than you expend
- Develop eating, exercise, and stress-management habits that are sustainable long-term
If a low-carb diet helps you do that, great.
If a low-fat diet helps you do that, right on.
If a diet with a relatively equal balance of carbs, fat, and protein suits you better, that works too.
Paleo, plant-based, Meditteranean, keto, you name it: Theyre all viable and can be effective, depending on your personal preferences, lifestyle, and needs.
Insulin Carbs And Obesity
It all starts with what is known as the carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity, which is a simplified explanation as to why global obesity persists to this day .
It is known that when you eat certain carbohydrates like starch and sugar, they can be quickly broken down into glucose and get absorbed into your bloodstream, which in turn raises your blood glucose levels .
The more carbohydrates you eat, the higher your blood glucose rises. In general, the body wants to maintain a normal range of 70 to 100 mg/dl of blood glucose level, to keep you healthy and your systems functioning optimally. As a result, the body strives to regulate the rising blood glucose levels as you intake carbohydrates .
Now enters insulin into the picture. When you eat carbohydrates, not only would your blood glucose rise, but your body, specifically your pancreas, releases insulin. Thats because insulin is the bodys regulator of blood glucose .
Insulin transports glucose from your bloodstream into your muscle and fat cells, where it could be stored and used for energy later on. Without insulin, your blood glucose levels stay elevated for a longer span, which is why people with Type 1 Diabetes must take insulin every day through injections or a pump .
Its also important to understand that people respond differently to the same number of carbohydrates, depending on several factors like :
- Amount and frequency of exercise
- Time of the day
- Foods they consume
You May Like: The Best Meal Replacement Shakes For Diabetics