How are obesity and high blood pressure risk factors for type 2 diabetes?
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Obesisty is the Number One cause of Type 2 Diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes is characterized by an almost complete failure of the pancreas. the patient produces almost NO insulin, and thus needs injections to stay alive.
Type 2 Diabetes is characterized by one of two things:
1) An inability to use the insulin the body produces. This is called "Insulin Resistant Diabetes"
2) The pancreas produces ttoo little insulin for the body’s needs. This is called "Insulin Deficient Diabetes".
In many cases, both are found together in the same patient.
In BOTH cases, the problem is associated with being overweight. Either the body is too big for the amount of insulin produced (thus, the insulin level is deficient for the body size) or the body become "immune" to the insulin (Insulin resistant).
in BOTH cases, simply losing weight, often as little as 10 pounds, will make a drastic improvement in the diabetes and blood sugar control.
- - - -
High blood pressure does NOT cause diabetes, so high blood pressure is not a "risk factor" for diabetes.
However, diabetes causes high blood pressure, so diabetes is a "risk factor" for high blood pressure. Diabetes is a "risk factor" for MANY problems related to the circulatory system, including hardening of the arteries (diabetes causes high cholesterol), heart attacks, strokes, heart disease, and Erectile Dysfunction. Diabetes leads to nerve damage, which can then lead to complete male impotency (the inability to ejaculate)
There is now a link between high cholesterol and Alzheimer’s Disease, and diabetes, with its link to high cholesterol, is now a "risk factor" for Alzheimers.
They are symptoms of a larger problem, metabolic syndrome. People who may already be type 2 diabetic tend to display high blood pressure, obesity and other things such as (in women) polycystic ovaries, insulin resistance, etc.
It doesn’t quite work that way. Poor diet and insufficient exercise put you at risk for "metabolic syndrome" which leads to obesity, diabetes, hypertension, PCOS, heart disease, stroke, you name it. In other words, what puts you at risk for obesity and high blood pressure are the things that put you at risk for diabetes. You don’t necessarily have to be obese to become diabetic. I certainly wasn’t.
Historically, type 2 diabetes usually developed after the age of 40, but it is now also increasing in children. The prevalence of diabetes in the U.S. has increased by 5% each year since 1990, and experts believe that obesity is the major factor behind this dramatic growth rate. Given the current epidemic of obesity, experts estimate that over a third of all people born in 2002 will eventually develop diabetes. Furthermore, the dramatic increase in diabetes is occurring worldwide as American lifestyles become global. Evidence strongly suggests that healthy lifestyles can prevent most cases of type 2 diabetes. People with pre-diabetes can substantially lower their risk by losing weight through diet and exercise.
Healthy adults age 45 and older should get tested for diabetes. Patients who are younger than age 45 and who are overweight or have other risk factors should also ask their doctors about testing. According to the National Institutes of Health, the following are major risk factors for diabetes and pre-diabetes: http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/type-2-diabetes/risk-factors.html
Obesisty is the Number One cause of Type 2 Diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes is characterized by an almost complete failure of the pancreas. the patient produces almost NO insulin, and thus needs injections to stay alive.
Type 2 Diabetes is characterized by one of two things:
1) An inability to use the insulin the body produces. This is called "Insulin Resistant Diabetes"
2) The pancreas produces ttoo little insulin for the body’s needs. This is called "Insulin Deficient Diabetes".
In many cases, both are found together in the same patient.
In BOTH cases, the problem is associated with being overweight. Either the body is too big for the amount of insulin produced (thus, the insulin level is deficient for the body size) or the body become "immune" to the insulin (Insulin resistant).
in BOTH cases, simply losing weight, often as little as 10 pounds, will make a drastic improvement in the diabetes and blood sugar control.
- - - -
High blood pressure does NOT cause diabetes, so high blood pressure is not a "risk factor" for diabetes.
However, diabetes causes high blood pressure, so diabetes is a "risk factor" for high blood pressure. Diabetes is a "risk factor" for MANY problems related to the circulatory system, including hardening of the arteries (diabetes causes high cholesterol), heart attacks, strokes, heart disease, and Erectile Dysfunction. Diabetes leads to nerve damage, which can then lead to complete male impotency (the inability to ejaculate)
There is now a link between high cholesterol and Alzheimer’s Disease, and diabetes, with its link to high cholesterol, is now a "risk factor" for Alzheimers.
They are symptoms of a larger problem, metabolic syndrome. People who may already be type 2 diabetic tend to display high blood pressure, obesity and other things such as (in women) polycystic ovaries, insulin resistance, etc.
It doesn’t quite work that way. Poor diet and insufficient exercise put you at risk for "metabolic syndrome" which leads to obesity, diabetes, hypertension, PCOS, heart disease, stroke, you name it. In other words, what puts you at risk for obesity and high blood pressure are the things that put you at risk for diabetes. You don’t necessarily have to be obese to become diabetic. I certainly wasn’t.
Historically, type 2 diabetes usually developed after the age of 40, but it is now also increasing in children. The prevalence of diabetes in the U.S. has increased by 5% each year since 1990, and experts believe that obesity is the major factor behind this dramatic growth rate. Given the current epidemic of obesity, experts estimate that over a third of all people born in 2002 will eventually develop diabetes. Furthermore, the dramatic increase in diabetes is occurring worldwide as American lifestyles become global. Evidence strongly suggests that healthy lifestyles can prevent most cases of type 2 diabetes. People with pre-diabetes can substantially lower their risk by losing weight through diet and exercise.
Healthy adults age 45 and older should get tested for diabetes. Patients who are younger than age 45 and who are overweight or have other risk factors should also ask their doctors about testing. According to the National Institutes of Health, the following are major risk factors for diabetes and pre-diabetes:
http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/type-2-diabetes/risk-factors.html