Health experts have stated there will be a rise in the number of people who gain weight over the next twenty years. Such an increase will bring about nothing less than one million additional cases of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes (type 2 diabetes in particular).
The medical world is a community that thrives on clinical findings or in-depth research to prove the causality of specific ailments or diseases.
In most cases, these clinical studies only show the association between a condition and a causative symptom or factor. Causality, in this instance, is both frustratingly elusive and remains speculative. Diabetes and weight gain are no exception.
The three well-known types of diabetes are unified with one common symptom: elevated or raised levels of blood glucose. The cases of type 1 diabetes are often less than ten percent and occur as a result of the autoimmune destruction or damage of the beta cells found in the pancreas.
The pancreas is the generator of insulin which helps in regulating blood glucose levels in a healthy human being.
A normal autoimmune process involves the production of antibodies that target and fight foreign bodies or infections. In the case of type 1 diabetes, the autoimmune process targets one’s own healthy cells.
Type 2 diabetes makes up for more than ninety percent of cases worldwide. It is the only one that is associated with weight gain. Etiological studies have made it known that the greater the body mass index, the higher the chances that you will develop type 2 diabetes.
However, that does not imply that weight gain is responsible for causing diabetes. Many obese people around the world will never develop type 2 diabetes, and even thin people can get this ailment.
This is to show that thin people can also develop the disease as a result of insulin resistance which brings about elevated blood sugar.
Instead of stating that “weight gain can cause diabetes,” it is more prudent to frame a connection between weight gain and diabetes.
Your genetic makeup plays a significant role in determining the strength of your pancreatic beta cells. This is why diabetes (type 2 diabetes, in particular) is a function of your genetic condition. Weight gain only partakes in its manifestation.
Therefore, since there is little you can do about the elements of your genetic makeup which affects beta cell function in your pancreas, you should engage in regular exercise or activity to boost your insulin sensitivity. Avoid sleep deprivation and be consistent with a varied diet.
Sources:
1. Thomas Barber. (2016, Jan 28). Complications. American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Opinion. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/27/why-does-obesity-cause-diabetes-google-answer.
2. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (nd). Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.htm
3. Health Risks of Being Overweight. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Retrieved from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/health-risks-overweight
4. Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Retrieved from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/risk-factors-type-2-diabetes
5. Karin Klein. (2017, Nov 07). What is Type 3c Diabetes?. A Sweet Life. Retrieved from https://asweetlife.org/what-is-type-3c-diabetes/