The Link Between Diabetes and Obesity

by Sue Kennedy

The link between diabetes and obesity is that food supplies allow people to eat more kilojoules than they should, and this can lead to obesity, which is a condition of excessive fat. There are a few different types of diabetes, however obesity is associated mostly with type 2 diabetes than any of the other types.

Sadly, diabetes is a worldwide epidemic that shows 246 million people have been diagnosed to date and by 2025 there will be over 300 million people with diabetes. This disease can cause heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and possible amputation of limbs, this disease is a killer and we need to fight it head on.

Studies have shown that where there is food of all types readily available, the rate of diabetes is high. Therefore, this is the link between diabetes and obesity.

In Australia and New Zealand one in four adults are affected by diabetes or pre-diabetes. Sadly, over 300 people every day, including children are being diagnosed with diabetes, this is a staggering amount and we need to stop this number from increasing at such a rapid pace.

One of the most important ways to do this is to educate people on the link between diabetes and obesity, which is a healthy lifestyle with the right nutritious foods and exercise. People need to monitor their blood glucose levels just the same as they do their cholesterol.

As well as a nutritious diet and exercise a person needs to modify their behaviour in respect to the type of foods that they consume, by achieving this behaviour towards food, you will be able to stick to your diet much easier and maintain a healthy weight. Following are some guidelines that can be quite helpful:

• Eat your meals at regular intervals and set times
• Eat your meals slowly, making them last longer
• Do not have serving plates on the dinner table, this way you cannot be tempted to have seconds
• Do not have a side plate of bread on the dinner table
• Set yourself some realistic goals for losing weight
• You don't need to eat everything that is on your plate
• When you are dining out, be conscious of alcohol, bread and salad dressings
• Buy some body weights and carry them around with you so that you can understand the extra weight and how good it will feel to be rid of your own weight
• When you are shopping for food, make a list of what ingredients you require and only have enough money to cover items from that list, and
• Most importantly, avoid foods that are no good for you, for example, processed foods, fried foods and quick fix foods that contain ingredients that have no nutritional value at all

It is important to remember the link between diabetes and obesity and maintain a healthy lifestyle so that you can avoid all the deadly complications that can occur with diabetes.