By Richard Lobbenberg
People with type 2 diabetes tend to be overweight or obese, and
while there is general agreement about a link between the two, the
scientific understanding is still not yet clear. It seems that obesity,
especially with fat accumulation in your abdomen, promotes insulin
resistance which then causes your pancreas to try and secrete more
insulin. If your pancreas can't keep up to the increased demand, then
your cells can't process glucose (sugar), for which the insulin is
necessary. When this happens, you have developed type 2 diabetes. The
other way type 2 develops is when your pancreas cannot produce enough
insulin regardless of resistance. Type 1 diabetes occurs when your
pancreas simply doesn't produce any insulin at all.
So what
happens in obese people and insulin resistance? It has been shown that a
high fat diet causes abnormal glucose production in your liver. In
healthier people, glucose production in the liver only occurs when your
blood sugar levels get too low. This behaviour of your liver with
obesity, increasing blood glucose levels, is an important step towards
developing insulin resistance. This has to do with a process by which
the endoplasmic reticulum in your cells, which process fats and
proteins, become 'stressed'. The endoplasmic reticulum then send out
signals to tell your body to ignore insulin until the fat processing has
finished.
Other studies show that a diet high in sugar can be a
precursor to developing diabetes as well, perhaps explaining why some
people who are not overweight but maintain poor diet habits can develop
insulin resistance.
Further scientific evidence points to fat
cells producing a hormone known as resistin. This hormone supposedly
prevents cells from using insulin properly, affecting your blood glucose
levels, your appetite, and your fat storage.
The bottom line is
that your pancreas secretes insulin as you eat, and your cells, using
insulin, permit the transport of sugar (glucose) inside, to be converted
into energy. Diabetes prevents your cells from using the insulin,
causing your blood sugar levels to be higher than normal, and your cells
to lack the necessary ingredients to produce energy, which of course is
essential for basic life functions. How obesity is connected to helping
create this situation may not be perfectly clear, but you can certainly
be sure that exercise and a healthy diet will not only combat obesity,
but will also help you manage diabetes.
Yoga is a great exercise,
and is good for all levels of people - it's just a matter of finding the
right teacher for you. Acupuncture can help to regulate your blood
sugar and energy levels, and can even help you to lose weight.