For the 98 million American adults with prediabetes, a term used for people with higher-than-normal blood sugar levels that aren’t high enough to diagnose type 2 diabetes, weight loss can lower the risk of advancing to type 2 diabetes.
“Losing weight can help reduce insulin resistance and may even delay or prevent complications from arising,” says Kimberly Rose-Francis, RDN, a certified diabetes care and education specialist based in Sebring, Florida.
As for people who have already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, weight loss can help them, too, and even change the course of the disease. In fact, some who lost 23 to 33 pounds and maintained that weight loss were able to send the condition into remission.
“Diabetes cannot be reversed, but it can go into remission, meaning the signs and symptoms are reduced,” says Rose-Francis. And, unfortunately, the changes aren’t permanent. “If someone who is in remission goes back to their same unhealthy eating and drinking habits, then diabetes can come out of remission and flare back up,” she says.
The Takeaway
- Losing just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can help you better manage your type 2 diabetes in several significant ways, improving your overall well-being and quality of life.
- Weight loss can help improve your insulin resistance and improve your blood sugar control, two key components to managing type 2 diabetes successfully.
- Weight loss also offers a number of cardioprotective effects, an important connection since diabetes and heart problems often go hand in hand.
- When it comes to weight loss and diabetes management, make lifestyle changes that work for you and that you can maintain in the long run to reap the biggest benefits.
Read the full article here
