We have probably heard of diabetes and obesity. But what the heck even is diabesity? Is it a new medical condition that’s becoming a worldwide epidemic? Diabesity is not an officially diagnosed disease. It means a person with diabesity has both obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
Together, these conditions increase the risk of heart disease and are the leading cause of death in the country. Obesity and diabetes are closely linked, and obesity-related complications are a major cause of type 2 diabetes.
It’s a growing public health issue that’s largely driven by dietary changes and lifestyle. It is not just a medical condition but also a modern lifestyle disease that requires a combination of behavioral change, medical support, and public health policy.
What is Diabesity?
Diabesity is a disease with immense potential that affects your body in the long term. Having obesity increases the risk of developing diabetes, a condition of too much glucose (sugar) circulating in the bloodstream without consumption. As they have a mutual connection to each other, the disease is termed as diabesity.
It’s a silent disease that damages your body if it is not controlled, even while you feel well. Diabesity reflects that these two health issues occur together, share common causes (poor diet, lack of exercise, and genetic factors), and often require integrated treatment strategies.
How is diabetes related to obesity?
Glucose management in your blood is the job of the pancreas. The pancreas helps in insulin production, a hormone that moves glucose out of your body. Normally, insulin transports glucose to the liver, where it’s stored for later, and to your muscles to use in the right way. That’s the normal body procedure.
But when you have diabesity, your cells show resistance, letting insulin move glucose into them. At the same time, the area of your liver where excess glucose is usually stored is filled with fat. This makes matters worse. As a result, glucose finds no place and remains in the bloodstream. Insulin is trying to push the glucose against the fat resistance.
This causes the pancreas to become unable to keep up, and eventually it wears out. So, your pancreas starts producing less insulin. As a result, diabetes develops and hence becomes worse if fat resistance remains. So, there is a close relation between obesity with diabetes because all mechanism happens due to fat resistance.
Is there any difference b/w type 1 and type 2 diabetes?
 Two terms are used for diabetes. The technical name for this is “diabetes mellitus “, but there is one more condition that shares the same term, which is “diabetes insipidus “.They are distinct from each other.
Diabetes insipidus is known as type 1 diabetes, and it is an autoimmune disease in which your immune system directly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells for an unknown reason. So, there is an underproduction of insulin in this disease.
But on the other hand, diabetes mellitus is noninsulin-dependent, in which the pancreas produces insulin at than higher-than-normal level. Obesity is the chief risk factor for type 2 diabetes. The only reason they share the same name because they both cause increased thirst and frequent Diabetes insipidus is rarer than diabetes mellitus.
How does obesity lead to diabetes?
Around the abdomen, excessive body fat causes inflammation that can lead to type 2 diabetes. A body prone to obesity results in low-level but chronic inflammation, and many studies highlight that inflammation results in the development of diabetes.
Excess fat tissue, especially visceral fat (around organs), promotes low-grade inflammation. Then, inflammatory chemicals interfere with insulin signaling, which causes insulin resistance.
It causes beta-cell stress. By producing more insulin pancreas shows compensation for insulin resistance. Over time, beta cells get overworked, and insulin production fails. This leads to increased blood glucose levels and eventually full-blown type 2 diabetes. That’s how obesity leads to diabetes.
Obesity → Insulin resistance + Inflammation + Liver fat → Beta cell stress → Type 2 diabetes
 How common is diabetes?
 In 2021, diabetes mellitus was responsible for approximately 1.62 million deaths globally, ranking as the eighth leading cause of death. Currently, around 537 million individuals worldwide are living with diabetes, and this figure is expected to grow to about 783 million by 2045.
The vast majority of cases—roughly 90 to 95 percent in the U.S.—are type 2 diabetes. Common risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes include excess body weight, lack of physical activity, being 45 years of age or older, and having prediabetes.
The future of diabetes:
The proportion of diabetes is estimated to increase in every region of the world over the next couple of decades, with the most significant growth expected in Africa and the Middle East. By 2045, China and India largest population, are expected to have diabetes with a total of 299 million cases.
Personal lifestyle choices, such as managing a balanced diet and regular physical exercise, can help prevent the onset of diabetes. This means much of the effort to reduce the impact of this disease falls on the individual. Nonetheless, obesity rates are also expected to climb globally, which adds difficulty of addressing diabetes and other issues related to excess weight.
Causes of diabetes include:
Too much glucose in the bloodstream causes type 2 diabetes. There are many causes for diabetes mellitus; some are discussed here:
Insulin resistance:
Type 2 diabetes is mainly due to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance occurs when fat, liver, and muscle cells don’t respond in the way they should to insulin. Several other factors contribute to the degree of insulin resistance, including obesity, lack of physical exercise, unbalanced diet, hormonal imbalance, certain medications, and genetics.
Hormonal imbalances:
During pregnancy placenta secretes hormones that cause insulin resistance. This overproduction of hormones causes other related conditions, such as acromegaly and Cushing syndrome, which can also lead to type 2 diabetes.
Genetic mutations:
Certain genetic mutations cause diabetes mellitus. Genetics influence how your body responds to insulin and processes glucose. While no single mutation causes type 2 diabetes but variation in multiple genes can increase the risk. Genetic mutation typically affects insulin production, Insulin sensitivity, and glucose metabolism.
Overweight:
Being overweight, especially excess fat around the abdomen, is a major risk factor. This is because fat cell secretes inflammatory cytokines and free fatty acids, which affect how insulin cells absorb glucose. With time body becomes insulin resistant, and beta cells overwork and start to fail. So, excessive weight just doesn’t strain the body, it biologically alters how insulin and glucose work. Exercise for abdominal and belly fat reduces the risk of fat accumulation around the organs.
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What Complications?
Over time, having too much glucose in the blood can affect several organs. These are often termed as “complications ” of diabetes. High blood sugar levels can cause disturbance to the body’s immune system. So, people with diabetes are easily prone to bacterial and fungal infections. The complications of diabetes include:
Heart & Blood Vessel damage:
Type 2 diabetes can increase the risk of developing heart diseases due to damage to the heart and blood vessels. These include cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, stroke, peripheral artery disease, etc.
Nerve damage:
Time passes, and high blood sugar levels can also damage nerves, a condition known as neuropathy. People with diabetes often feel numbness in fingers, hands, toes, feet, or tingling, or shooting pain that usually begins in fingers or toes and spreads upwards.
Kidney damage:
Every minute, about a half cup of blood filters through the kidneys, removing wastes and extra fluid from your body. Diabetes can damage your kidneys so that they stop working effectively. And then requiring transplant or dialysis.
Eye damage:
People with diabetes are at a higher risk of developing damage to blood vessels and lenses in their eyes. This can cause glaucoma and cataracts, and can lead to blindness.
Foot damage:
Prolonged high blood sugar increases the risk of damaging the nerves and blood vessels in the feet. This damage led to numbness, tingling, and pain in the feet. Minor cuts and blisters can lead to ulcers, infections in a serious case.
Limited Joint Mobility Syndrome:
Long-term diabetes causes thickness and tightness of connective tissue and skin. It causes stiffness in joints, fingers, or hands. People face difficulty in straightening fingers or the inability to press their palms flat together.
Muscle Cramps:
Electrolyte imbalance due to uncontrollable diabetes, especially low magnesium or potassium, causes cramps and muscle stiffness.
Individual at risk of diabetes mellitus:
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Overweight people and those aged 45 or older are at a greater risk of developing diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, due to several lifestyle-related and biological factors. Why are these individuals at greater risk?
As people age (45 and older), metabolism slows down and muscle mass decreases. At that age, related changes occur in metabolism. This is due to physical activity often declining with age, and this leads to weight gain and reduced insulin sensitivity.
In aged people pancreas produces less insulin, and cells become more resistant to it, which ultimately increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
In overweight people, lipid overflow is a major cause of diabetes. Excess fat in the body causes fat to accumulate in places it shouldn’t, like the liver, muscle, and pancreas. This directly affects how these organs manage blood sugar, leading to poor glucose management. Lack of physical exercise further worsens the weight gain and contributes to diabetes risk.
Does everyone with obesity develop diabesity?
The risk of developing type 2 diabetes in obese people is six times higher than those at a healthy weight. But the fact is that not everyone with obesity automatically gets diabetes. Other factors that may likely play their role too include;
Family history
Diet
Stress
Some people with obesity might be able to make more insulin without overtaxing their pancreas. But others may not make enough insulin, which can make it easier for them to get diabetes along with obesity.
Diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus:
By measuring the level of glucose in the blood doctor diagnoses the type of diabetes. The diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is made when a person has an abnormally high level of glucose in the blood. This diagnosis is done by a screening test on people who are at risk of diabetes but have no symptoms.
What treatment do you need?
When you develop diabesity, you have to start with one medication to get your pancreas to produce enough insulin, but very soon, you need two or more medications for diabetes. You may be fine with just one medication if you lose weight or even go off medication entirely.
For improving type 2 diabetes, losing 5 to 10 percent of weight can be effective. The first goal to improve diabesity is to maintain a healthy weight along with eating a low-carb diet. Changing your diet and exercise play an important role in avoiding serious complications of uncontrollable diabetes.
Diet for diabetes management:
The type of food you eat has a great impact on your health and blood sugar level. To control your blood sugar level, you should use healthy food choices, eat at a regular time. When you eat healthy food at a regular time and do exercise, you train your body to use the insulin it makes in a better way. These are considered as best diet tips for weight management and also reduce diabetes.
This will help you manage your blood sugar level and reduce the chances of long-term problems. There is no one permanent eating pattern that will work for everyone with diabetes. But eating a variety of nutrients in the right proportion helps you to control your blood sugar level and cholesterol. It is important to eat a suitable amount of nutrition from all food groups.
These groups include:
Vegetables: Eat nonstarchy vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, and tomatoes. Avoid starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, and green peas.
Fruits: Use fruits including oranges, apples, melon, berries, and grapes.
Dairy: Non-fat or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese.
A person can also use tools such as the Body Weight Planner and Plate method to help guide meal plans and portion sizes.
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Exercise Essentials:
Regular physical activity is important for managing type 2 diabetes and reducing the risk of developing it. Being physically active helps insulin work better in your body. Exercises include;
Running
Walking
Water aerobics
These exercises help you to lower your stress, lose fat along with sugar level, improve the quality of your sleep, and boost your mind.
Conclusion:
Obesity and diabetes are closely related public health issues, rising day by day. Obesity significantly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes due to insulin resistance. Addressing these conditions requires lifestyle changes, such as a healthier diet and physical activities, along with medical treatment. Early prevention is key to reducing their impact. Tackling obesity effectively lowers the incidence and complications of diabetes, improving overall health outcomes.
