I believe that we are all aware of diabetes, especially type 2, and obesity. These are two common conditions that negatively impact lives. Diabetes is a chronic or long-term disease and a killer disease, while obesity leads to many chronic /long-term illnesses and general health issues.
Now, there’s a condition known as DIABESITY, coined from both words, and that’s my focus today.
What is DIABESITY?
Diabesity, though it’s not really a formal medical diagnosis like diabetes, is a term used to describe the close link or connection between obesity and type 2 diabetes. Both are like 5&6. When you are diabetic, there’s more insulin being released, especially based on what you eat, and insulin is a FAT-STORING HORMONE, so it can lead to obesity.
As we grow older, we can’t continue to eat carelessly and stay sedentary. Prayer and quoting scripture won’t do anything. I changed my eating habits years ago, and it has helped me maintain a healthy weight and a flat stomach. I added walking to it, too. I’m not a fan of the gym, but I love the indoor mini trampoline and mini bike in addition to walking.
The truth is that MOST, but not all, type 2 diabetes is driven by excess body fat, especially around the abdomen and organs (visceral fat). That fat acts like an independent organ and wraps around essential organs.
One of the pillars I employ in reversing type 2 diabetes is getting rid of excess and visceral fat.
What are the signs of DIABESITY (DIABETES & OBESITY)?
Check for these signs in your own life and take proactive action.
1. A BMI ≥ 30 kg/m², or excessive body fat.
2. Insulin resistance: Your body’s cells, which need energy from glucose in food, are resisting insulin and refusing to allow it to transport glucose into the cells.
3. Type 2 diabetes, which is largely a lifestyle-related disease.
4. Prediabetes, the stage that can progress to type 2 diabetes if proactive actions are not taken.
What are the risk factors?
There are 2 types of risk factors, and they are the same risk factors for diabetes-2 and in some cases, obesity.
They are:
🎯 Non-modifiable: (though knowing these can help us make the right decisions).
They include:
📍 Age: risk rises after 40, but is now increasingly common in younger adults and even teens. Our metabolism slows down as we grow older, so it’s easier to gain weight, especially if we aren’t disciplined about what and how we eat.
📍 Family history: parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes or obesity. Once you know it runs in your family, you must choose to take the right actions to prevent it.
📍 Ethnicity (higher risk at lower BMI):
These ethnic groups are more prone /South Asian, East Asian, Middle Eastern, African, Hispanic/Latino, and Indigenous.
📍 Family History of:
Gestational diabetes – this happened to my cousin, and because she didn’t follow the right principles of diet and physical activity to prevent the full manifestation of diabetes-2.
📍 Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). I’m currently sharing on SM a lot of info on PCOS. This is a major cause of fertility problems and can be difficult to diagnose. I tell clients who suffer from it to watch their sugar consumption and do everything it takes to restore insulin sensitivity. In a lot of PCOS sufferers, there’s so much weight gain and an addiction to sugar.
🎯 Modifiable (you have a big role in preventing this):
📍 Excess body weight, especially central (how wide is your waist circumference):
Do you check your weight circumference regularly, or are you ignoring your increasing waistline?
These are standard measurements.
• Men: ≥ 102 cm (40 in)
• Women: ≥ 88 cm (35 in)
• However, there’s a lower cutoff point in many Asian populations: ~90 cm for men, ~80 cm for women.
Stop ignoring your weight circumference.
📍 Dietary pattern (what are you eating):
Your diet plays a massive role in ill-health or good health!!!
• High intake of refined carbs, sugary drinks, sweets. This is the bane of modern life. I stopped their consumption the day God warned me and did the work and so can you. I was addicted to Coca-Cola, etc.
Reduce or stop eating these foods;
• High in ultra-processed foods and saturated/trans fats. The food industry only cares about profit, not about you. Don’t let daily consumption of these foods become your lifestyle. The consequences are real.
• Low in fiber, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. A high fiber diet keeps your gut healthy, and 70% of your immune system is in your gut. A high fiber diet protects you against colon cancer.
📍 Physical inactivity:
We were not created by God to be sedentary. Examples are:
• Sitting most of the day
• Little structured exercise or movement.
📍 Sleep:
Sadly, a lot of us don’t understand the importance of sleep.
• Chronic short sleep (< 6–7 hours) or poor sleep quality.
• Sleep apnea, which needs proper attention.
📍 Stress and mental health:
Sadly, the modern lives we live lead to chronic stress in our lives.
• Chronic stress can lead to depression and anxiety, which causes higher cortisol in the body, which then promotes more abdominal fat and insulin resistance.
🎯 Smoking and heavy alcohol use.
The pillars I use to reverse Diabesity or diabetes-2 or obesity are based on these modifiable risk factors.
If there’s obesity and type 2 diabetes running in your family, then the risk of developing diabesity is increased. Diabesity, obesity, and type 2 diabetes damage our health so much.
Next week, I’ll share more.
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