Does Obesity Lead to Diabetes? No..! S

Overweight patients are constantly coaxed to reduce weight to mitigate or reverse their insulin resistance (diabetes). Even the rest of us are told that carrying extra weight leads to diabetes.

However, it’s now known that insulin resistance at the level of the liver causes the pancreas to produce more insulin that raises insulin levels all over the body and that insulin pushes extra energy into the fat cells for storage, which leads to obesity. And so it turns out to be the other way round!

Because you find lots of thin people who are resistant to insulin (diabetic) and conversely you find a lot many overweight individuals who are sensitive to insulin (non-diabetic). 

One of the many reasons (other than genetics) is the “Oxidative Stress” that is driving insulin resistance in most of us today – sooner or later, it will catch up with you if you don’t change your lifestyle. 

To cut a long story short – the answer lies in 1) the foods that are rich in antioxidants like: whole food, whole fruits, vegetables, lean meat & poultry, 2) cut down on simple sugars (not more than 10g/day), 3) make lifestyle changes (exercise), 4) reduce alcohol intake, 5) lessen your exposure to environmental factors such as pollution & radiation. 

Exercise may increase oxidative stress but generally, it’s good for your overall health. 

Zareer Patell