We've all heard, time and time again, that overweight and obesity are potentially harmful to our health. We are in danger of heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver...and all sorts of dreadful sounding conditions.
What exactly are these conditions? Let's take a look at two of them: (diabetes, and heart disease)
1. Type 2 Diabetes. This is probably the disease we hear about the most frequently. Some of the older folks still call it "sugar diabetes". The word "diabetes" originated in the second century when a Greek physician used the word meaning to "pass water like a siphon". This is because of excessive urination which often characterizes diabetes.
Our bodies typically produce a hormone called insulin. Insulin regulates glucose (sugar) processing (metabolism). Symptoms develop when either the insulin or the sugar is out of control. Insulin may be thought of as a "key" which unlocks the cell so that sugar can enter and be used for energy. In diabetes the cell is resistant to the effect of insulin so rather than entering into the cell, the excess sugar floats around in the bloodstream (high blood sugar). The body, sensing that the cells are not getting nourished, reacts by over-producing insulin.
The symptoms of insulin-sugar imbalance may be excessive thirst and increased urination, fatigue, un-wanted weight loss, and blurred vision. Complications of long-standing diabetes include loss of vision, impaired circulation to feet (which may lead to ulcerations and even amputation, if untreated), damage to blood vessels which may lead to heart attack or stroke, and wounds that don't heal.
Since the vast majority of people diagnosed with diabetes are obese, it is easy to assume that there is a connection. There are many speculations about the relationship. There is no need to explore them all. Let's just know that since there is a link, we would be well advised to minimize our risk of diabetes by losing extra pounds.
2. Heart disease (also called coronary artery disease). Think of the heart as a pump and the vessels as the pipes, or hoses, through which blood travels bringing food and oxygen to every cell from the brain to the toes! After the vessels have unloaded their supply of good "stuff" (food and oxygen), they go the extra mile and pick up wastes Sounds like an important job, and it is.
When you develop coronary artery disease, or heart disease, it means that something has happened which keeps the blood from doing its normal jobs of "pick-up and delivery". This interference may be the result of high blood pressure. (Imagine the garden hoses filling up with minerals which make the opening smaller. Water passage is reduced and the hose itself may split under the pressure). Overweight and obesity increase the likelihood of high blood pressure and the accumulation of fats which make the vessels brittle and more likely to leak. Pieces of fat can also break off and block the passage of blood. Leakage and blockage are responsible for conditions such as heart attack and stroke.
You can see that it is important to do whatever we can to minimize the likelihood that we will develop diabetes or heart disease.
