Understanding Weight Loss As a Diabetes Management Strategy

Maintaining a healthy weight can yield a lot of health benefits. However, for people with diabetes, weight loss is not only a healthy practice but also an essential one. It is a strategy to manage diabetes and control its progression. There are also many more health benefits of losing weight in diabetes. You are at low risk of developing several diabetes complications like heart diseases, stroke, etc. 

Let’s find out more about the benefits of losing weight if you have diabetes and understand how weight loss can be an effective diabetes management strategy. 

Benefits Of Weight Loss In Diabetes

Improved Insulin Sensitivity

In type 2 diabetes, most of the time, the body does not respond to the insulin produced by the pancreas, causing the blood sugar levels to rise. This phenomenon is called insulin resistance and is closely connected with weight loss. 

Weight loss helps improve insulin sensitivity by reducing the pro-inflammatory or stress response in the skeletal muscles.  

Lower High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Levels

High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels are common complications in diabetes patients. They are also closely linked to an increased risk of heart diseases. High blood pressure levels can damage artery walls and high levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides can cause fat buildup in these damaged artery walls. It can lead to further complications such as coronary artery disease. However, losing weight can lower this risk. 

Reduced Risk of Vascular Damage

Both obesity and insulin resistance are associated with vascular inflammation. As obesity progresses, inflammation increases, eventually leading to atherosclerosis, a disease characterised by plaque buildup in the arteries. Weight loss is one of the best ways to reduce inflammation and lower insulin resistance in the body. 

Lower Risk of Sleep Apnea

Diabetes also increases the risk of suffering from sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which abnormal breathing is experienced during sleep. Many studies have found that weight loss can improve obstructive sleep apnea. In addition, it has also been found that sleeping well helps regulate blood sugar levels properly, whereas irregular sleep or sleep loss can lead to increased insulin resistance.  

Increased Mobility

Researchers have found that people with type 2 diabetes are more prone to developing mobility-related issues than people who don’t have the disease. It has been further noted that obesity and physical inactivity increases these problems. Obesity can also cause bone and joint issues and limit physical movements. Therefore, weight loss is considered an essential strategy to prevent mobility-related issues and manage diabetes.  

Improved Energy Levels and Mood

When people lose excess weight, their energy levels rise, and their mood and self-confidence improve. Weight loss can also help motivate people to manage their diabetes better and continue following healthy self-care practices. 

Delayed Diabetes Progression

If you are diagnosed with prediabetes, weight loss can help lower insulin resistance, thereby decreasing the risk of advancing to type 2 diabetes.

In case you are already diagnosed with diabetes, weight loss can help you put your diabetes into remission. Remission means that the blood sugar levels are below the diabetes range without any medication, thereby preventing the complications of diabetes and delaying its progression. 

The Final Takeaway

Obesity or being overweight is closely associated with the increased risk of type 2 diabetes. In addition, obesity is also a risk factor for developing hypertension, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular diseases, which are some of the major complications of diabetes. 

Weight loss is considered a key strategy for diabetes management. It helps to improve insulin sensitivity, lower high blood pressure levels, increase mobility, improve mood and delay the progression of diabetes. Therefore, if you have diabetes, you must aim at losing excess weight and maintaining healthy body weight. 

References

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5556579/
• https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/39/Supplement_1/S47/28938/6-Obesity-Management-for-the-Treatment-of-Type-2
• https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/whats-your-healthy-weight/lose-weight
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/in-depth/diabetes-prevention/art-20047639
• https://journals.lww.com/homehealthcarenurseonline/Citation/2018/01000/Weight_Loss_Strategies_for_Patients_With_Type_2.8.aspx
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4238418/
• https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/insulin-resistance.html
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2770158/
• https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/diabetes-and-heart.html
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27528523/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24635342/
• https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.118.034454
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3449487/
• https://aasm.org/aasm-improve-your-sleep-and-reduce-your-risk-of-diabetes/
• https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1110294
• https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/index.html
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27002059/