Whether you are a newly diagnosed diabetic or one who has been suffering with the disease for years, there are ways of helping to lower your dependence on insulin. One of the most effective and possibly the most beneficial is weight reduction. It seems that doctors are saying that lowering your weight and overall body mass index will help a whole host of problems; and when it comes to diabetes this is even more true.
Type 2 diabetics are those whose bodies do not produce enough insulin or effective insulin to help transfer glucose from the blood stream into usable energy for tissues. The result is an overload of blood sugars and a wide range of diabetic symptoms. Although diabetes is considered an autoimmune disease if you have type 1 diabetes; type 2 diabetes is actually considered to be affected more by environment on already stressed genes. All diabetics need to monitor and regulate their blood sugar levels; however, type 2 diabetics may have a greater chance of decreasing their insulin dependence through the loss of weight.
In recent years the entire world has been educated on the overall dangers of obesity and the benefits of weight loss. For diabetics losing a few pounds may not only help improve their quality of life, but also their longevity. Due to its destructive and stressful nature on the body, excessive weight can actually cause diabetes symptoms to be more aggressive. Losing weight can reduce blood pressure, which is of vital importance to diabetics who suffer from eye deterioration and disease. The eyes are extremely sensitive to fluctuations in blood pressure; as anyone who has seen spots during exercise can attest.
Some of the many symptoms of diabetes are fatigue and joint pain. Many diabetics will be surprised to learn that both of these can be lessened and even alleviated by weight reduction. The lower extremities can be greatly afflicted by diabetes due to nerve damage and other complications. By relieving the burden of carrying around additional weight, patients will find that their hips, knees, ankles and even back will feel less stressed and stiff.
Also, as in all patients, with the shedding of a few extra pounds comes the shedding of a few digits off of a cholesterol score. High levels of cholesterol is one of the largest contributing factors of diabetic heart disease. By simply losing weight a patient could easily lower their cholesterol without the aid of prescription medications. Although all care should be taken and doctors consulted if they are already using cholesterol inhibiting medicines.
As with any weight loss plan, a medical professional should be consulted before drastic changes take place. For diabetics the decision to lose weight may be one of the best they make, but extra precautions should be taken. First and foremost, as the body weight and condition change the insulin and other diabetic medications will need to be adjusted; only a qualified medical practitioner is in a position to correctly and safely change medical dosages. In addition to the monitoring of medications, a diabetic should be aware of maintaing healthy dietary rations during a weight loss program. A diabetic should have the following division of food categories throughout the day: fifty percent carbohydrates, thirty percent fat, and fifteen percent protein, with the remainder being taken up by other important nutrients. For type 2 diabetics the decision to lose weight may be the answer to losing their dependence on insulin.
