How Are Your Weight and Your Risk for Diabetes Connected? 

Obesity and Type 2 diabetes are two closely related conditions. If you’re struggling with your weight, you’re about six times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. Both conditions increase your risk for heart disease, so managing them is imperative for your long-term health. 

Board-certified endocrinologist and diabetes specialist Anastasios Manessis, MD, has curated a team of dieticians and medical fitness experts at neXendo Wellness in Long Island City and Murray Hill, New York. You can work with Dr. Manessis and our team in a continuous care weight management program tailored to your needs. 

A personalized weight loss program can help manage your weight while lowering your risk for Type 2 diabetes. If you already have diabetes, a weight loss program can treat obesity and diabetes simultaneously. 

Here, we explore the connection between your weight and your diabetes risk. 

Understanding Type 2 diabetes

First, we need to distinguish between diabetes types 1 and 2. Both involve excessive blood sugar (glucose). 

However, weight challenges don’t increase your risk for Type 1 diabetes because Type 1 stems from an immune system malfunction. When you have Type 1 diabetes, your immune system attacks the cells in your pancreas that create insulin so your pancreas can no longer produce it. 

Type 2 diabetes develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin. When the body can no longer use insulin effectively, glucose builds up in the bloodstream.

With both types of diabetes, the buildup of glucose can cause extensive damage to your organs nerves over time. This causes complications like diabetic neuropathy, ulcers, vision loss, and kidney problems. 

How weight challenges can lead to diabetes

Weight challenges don't just increase your risk for Type 2 diabetes — they can increase its severity because excessive body fat causes insulin resistance.

Typically, insulin transfers most glucose into your muscles or liver. However, if you’re struggling with your weight, your liver has less space for glucose storage because of excess fat. Since there isn’t enough storage capacity, more glucose stays in your bloodstream. 

At first, your pancreas produces more insulin to try to reduce glucose in your blood. Eventually, the pancreas exhausts itself and slows insulin production, leading to even more glucose in your bloodstream and, eventually, diabetes. 

Considering other risk factors

Weight challenges aren’t the only risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. In fact, many people are overweight and don’t develop diabetes. 

Other factors that increase your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes include:

• Family history
• Stress
• Diet
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Gut health

While creating your weight loss program, our neXendo Wellness team considers your whole health. They can help you modify your diet and become more active to lower your diabetes risk or manage diabetes and insulin resistance. 

Our team is here to help

If you’re overweight and want to lower your diabetes risk, our experts can help. Call neXendo Wellness or schedule an appointment online for endocrinology and weight loss services today.