Obesity and Diabetes Go Hand-In-Hand

Being obese puts you at risk of type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps in regulating your blood sugar level.

When you eat, carbohydrates break down into glucose in the bloodstream, your body’s main source of energy. The pancreas responds by releasing the hormone insulin to take the glucose into the cells. Without this hormone or with the body not responding to it, the glucose remains in the blood and your cells starve.

Why is obesity a risk factor for type 2 diabetes?

People who are categorized as obese according to the Body Mass Index (BMI) are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with normal BMI.

Researchers found out that lipotoxicity (a form of metabolic syndrome) can occur when there is an accumulation of fats in the body. This causes cellular dysfunction, which leads to insulin resistance, and even death.

How can weight loss surgery prevent or improve diabetes?

Losing weight can improve diabetes and other obesity-related conditions (e.g. sleep apnea, hypertension, high blood cholesterol). But if weight loss through conventional means is a struggle, bariatric surgery can be an option.

Studies have found that bariatric surgery is an effective tool for helping obese patients in losing weight and keeping it off. Researchers discovered that this procedure can improve obesity-related conditions including diabetes.

It can reverse diabetes by reducing lipotoxicity, which in turn, reduces the body’s resistance to insulin. It can also improve your diabetes by influencing gut hormones.

In a procedure like gastric bypass, there is some effect on the secretion of hormones responsible for metabolism, appetite, and food intake. This keeps you from overeating and hence, losing weight in the long run.

Unsure if bariatric surgery is right for you?

New Life Center for Bariatric Surgery in Knoxville offers a FREE information series to help you understand more about weight loss surgery procedures. It’s also one of our requirements for new patients who are interested in undergoing bariatric surgery.

This free seminar is available both in-person and online. To register online, you only need to have a good internet connection and 35 minutes of your time.

You can sign up for our FREE info series here or call our New Life office at (865) 694-9676 if you have questions about the process.