Epidemic
Many experts believe there is no coincidence that the rise in obesity among Americans correlates with a staggering increase in diabetes, which has reached epidemic proportions. An independent study that included researchers from the Centers of Disease Control showed that people with type 2 diabetes have the common characteristic of obesity or being overweight. Looking at the data from clinical studies involving 31,000 Americans over a period of six years, the researchers found that while two out of every 1,000 normal weight people had been diagnosed with diabetes, some 18 out of 1,000 obese people had the disease. There was also a 41 percent increase in the incidence of diagnosed diabetes during that time.
Fat Cells
Researchers theorize that the more fat tissue a person has the less sensitive that person becomes to insulin. So a greater amount of insulin is required to maintain the body's regulation of blood glucose levels. Fat cells release a protein that leads to the development of type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes, according to researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
More Insulin
The protein that is released into the bloodstream from fat cells causes the body to become desensitized to insulin. The pancreas then begins to produce more insulin to counteract the negative effects. But the pancreas becomes overworked and eventually stops or slows down the release of insulin, leading to diabetes.
Weight Loss
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has recommended weight loss for people with diabetes to lower their elevated blood glucose levels and reduce their risks of illness or death.
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