> Health and Disease > Diabetes and Hypoglycemia > type 2 diabetes (adult onset)

Type 2 diabetes, which represents over 90 percent of all cases of diabetes, occurs when cell receptor sites become insensitive to insulin and it cannot bind with them to release blood sugar. Taking steps to lose excess fat can enhance insulin sensitivity and reduce symptoms of diabetes.

Well over 80 percent of type 2 diabetics are obese. In fact, Shape Up America coined the term “diabesity®” to reflect the strong connection between excess body fat and type 2 diabetes. Although researchers have known about this correlation for many years, only recently have they been able to pinpoint one of the mechanisms by which this condition occurs.

In January 2001, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia announced the discovery of a new peptide believed to link type 2 diabetes and obesity. Resistin (named for its resistance to insulin)–the peptide produced by the body’s fat cells–was shown to impair blood sugar control and insulin action when given to healthy mice. Meanwhile, it enhanced blood sugar control and insulin action when it was inhibited in obese mice (resistin levels are greatly elevated in obesity).

Other research, which appeared in the prestigious journal Lancet in January 2001, showed that increased levels of resistin were most often found in human abdominal fat cells. Consequently the amount of fat we carry in our abdominal region appears to play a pivotal role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

Even though an estimated two million Canadians now have diabetes, with another 40 percent unaware that they are living with this condition, this research shows that we can, at the very least, reduce our chances of coming face-to-face with this destructive disease.

By following the tips below, you can greatly increase your odds of remaining diabetes free for life:

• Eliminate all processed high-sugar foods and drinks from the diet, especially high-fructose-sweetened soft drinks.
• Consume high-quality lean proteins (meat from game, free-range chicken, turkey, and lamb, as well as fish, organic eggs, and organic plain yogourt) with every meal to stimulate the metabolic-enhancing hormone glucagon.
• Supplement with gamma-linolenic acid (GLA, the omega-6 essential fatty acid from organic borage oil) and molecularly distilled cold-water fish oils. Both have been shown to increase insulin sensitivity.
• Exercise regularly because exercising muscles have been shown to absorb up to 30 times more blood sugar than non-exercising muscles, without the aid of insulin.

Armed with the knowledge that reduced body fat can equate to a diabetes-free life, you can take the necessary steps to make that life happen.

Brad J. King, MS, MFS, is a nutritional researcher and author of Fat Wars: 45 Days to Transform Your Body (Wiley, 2001) and the Fat Wars Action Planner (Wiley, 2003). (Diabesity® is a registered trademark of Shape Up America, the nonprofit organization committed to helping Americans manage their weight. shapeup.org.)

Source: alive #265, November 2004