Risks Involved With Weight Gain And Type 2 Diabetes

17 November 2014 by Brent Woods

If you've been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, your doctor has likely given you a strict diet and health plan to follow. Type 2 diabetes, or hyperglycemia, occurs when your body does not process and use insulin correctly. In turn, your pancreas fails to produce enough insulin to adequately process blood sugar levels. The result is excessive amounts of glucose in your bloodstream. Over time diabetes can have serious health repercussions. Because weight gain is always a concern with diabetes, bringing your weight down to a healthy level can help make blood sugar levels easier to control. Here are some risks that can result from being overweight and having diabetes.

Elevated Blood Sugar Levels

When you're overweight or obese, you likely have more fat in your abdomen area. This is where your pancreas, liver and other vital digestive organs are located. Having added pressure from fat can also strain your pancreas and liver—making them more susceptible for failure. Eating high fat and sugary foods can cause your blood sugar levels to rise and fluctuate. Over time this can lead to serious health complications.  

Heart Disease

Heart disease is often associated with people who have diabetes. Heart disease falls under a blanket of heart-related disorders including:

• Hypertension or high blood pressure
• Stroke
• High cholesterol levels or hyperlipidemia
• Heart attack and heart related disorders.

One way to reduce your risk of developing diabetic-related heart problems is to lose weight. One method—duodenal switch—has been proven successful for diabetic patients to lose weight and get help controlling glucose-related symptoms. This is a gastrointestinal procedure that uses malabsorptive elements to trigger weight loss. Part of the stomach is permanently removed but the pyloric valve remains intact. This reduces the risk of stoma closures and blockages which is a common occurrence with other weight reduction surgeries such as gastric bypass. Get in touch with qualified duodenal switch surgeons to see if this is a viable weight loss solution for you. 

Pancreatitis

Utilizing duodenal switch surgery or other surgical weight loss methods to lose excess weight can help reduce your risk for pancreatitis. Pancreatitis occurs when your pancreas becomes inflamed and does not function properly. Because your pancreas controls the way your body processes glucose, your blood sugar levels can elevate rapidly. It can quickly turn into a life-threatening condition and emergency medical treatment should be sought.

Amputation

One effect of severe uncontrolled diabetes is amputation. This is caused by a lack of blood flow to certain areas of the body, specifically your limbs. People with diabetes often experience blood vessel and vascular problems. This combined with being overweight can lead to limb loss and other health complications.

Weight loss surgery is one way that you can achieve successful results to reach a healthy BMI. Keeping your weight down will help reduce the risks associated with diabetes. 

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