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Diabetes and Body Fat
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Overweight and obesity are both labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height. The terms also identify ranges of weight that have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems.
For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using weight and height to calculate a number called the “body mass index” (BMI). BMI is used because, for most people, it correlates with their amount of body fat.
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• An adult who has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight.
• An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.
Calculate your personal BMI.
Research strongly indicates that Type 2 Diabetes is very closely linked to obesity. In fact, as many as 97% of people with Type 2 Diabetes have the disease as a result of obesity. Approximately 61% of the U.S. adult population can be categorized as overweight (that’s about 97 million adults). This number has increased by 50% in the last two decades. The connection is so great, that some health experts formally refer to the Diabetes-obesity link as “Diabesity®.”
There is very strong evidence that losing weight (as little as 5-10% of your bodyweight) can delay the onset of Type 2 Diabetes . Losing weight helps to reduce blood glucose levels in many patients that have Pre-Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes. Additionally, losing weight reduces the amount of fatty tissue in the body, which reduces the level of stress on the heart and other organs.
|
Weight status category |
Percentile range |
|
Underweight |
Less than the 5th percentile |
|
Healthy weight |
5th percentile to less than the 85th |
|
At risk of overweight |
85th to less than the 95th |
|
Overweight |
Equal to or greater than the 95th percentile |
Keep in mind that once the body creates fat cells, the cells are not destroyed. Instead, the fat cells always remain in the body, just in different sizes. Therefore, parents need to be very careful about monitoring their weight and amount of body fat in their children in order to help them avoid getting Type 2 Diabetes.
- Obesity can and should be controlled (or eliminated) whenever possible. Medications may provide some help as you try to lose weight. However, good nutrition and exercise are the best remedies to creating and sustaining a healthier lifestyle.
Use our interactive modules to learn more about Sugars and Starches, How Your Digestive System Works and Diabetes.