Type 2 Diabetes is on the rise, with about 1 in 10 Americans now afflicted by the metabolic disease. The condition usually develops after age 45, and is related to weight gain, but we’re now seeing more young adults and even teenagers diagnosed.
Since the condition results from insulin resistance that increases over time, you might be at risk for Type 2 diabetes for many years before finally developing it. Or, you could even suffer from diabetes for some time before a doctor detects the problem. Usually this happens because symptoms become significant enough that a patient seeks help or even ends up hospitalized.
Either way, you might wonder whether you can ward off Type 2 diabetes via weight loss, or even reverse the condition after you’ve been diagnosed. And the answer is yes! That is entirely possible for many patients (but we must be clear that this applies to Type 2 diabetes only; Type 1 diabetes is a very different situation).
New Research, published in Diabetic Medicine, gives us hope for treating Type 2 diabetes with weight loss. The study shows that you can indeed reverse your diagnosis! Participants who lost 10 percent of their body fat within five years of their initial diagnosis were twice as likely to lose their diagnosis as those who did not lose weight. It did not even matter whether these patients followed a particular diet or exercise plan; simply the weight loss alone carried a significant effect on their odds of remission.
If your doctors has diagnosed you with Type 2 diabetes, or informed you that you’re at risk, there is hope. You don’t necessarily need to embark on an extreme lifestyle change, train for marathons, eat nothing but protein, or any of the other stories you might have heard. A sensible diet and a reasonable exercise plan might be all you need to drop 10 percent of your current body fat, and we can help with that. Call us to schedule an appointment, and let’s discuss how medical weight loss can benefit your health.
