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Diabetes and Weight Loss |
Carbs in Food |
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Information About Carbs | Carbohydrates Guide | Low Carb Diets |
Weight Management and DiabetesDue to the adverse effects of obesity on insulin resistance, weight reduction is an important therapeutic objective for patients with type 2 diabetes. Clinical evidence shows that weight loss in type 2 diabetics is associated with decreased insulin resistance, improved measures of glycemia and dyslipidemia and reduced blood pressure. Sustained Weight Loss Not EasyDue to a variety of genetic and psychosocial factors, structured, intensive lifestyle programs involving individual counseling, reduced dietary fat and energy intake, regular physical activity and frequent participant contact are necessary to produce long-term weight loss of as little as 5–7 percent of starting weight. As regards calorie control, When dieting to lose weight, fat is probably the most important nutrient to restrict. Studies indicate that spontaneous eating and total energy intake are increased when the diet is high in fat and decreased when the diet is low in fat. While exercise by itself has only a modest effect on weight loss, regular physical activity should be encouraged because it improves insulin sensitivity, acutely lowers blood glucose, and is important in long-term weight control. In general, an optimal obesity reduction program for diabetics has yet to emerge. Lifestyle Modification Essential to Lose WeightTypically, traditional weight loss diets provide 500–1000 less calories than are necessary for weight maintenance. Although many dieters do lose some weight (as much as 10 percent of initial weight) with such diets, evidence demonstrates that without the other elements of an intensive lifestyle program, long-term weight loss is rarely achieved, and many people regain weight. Meal Replacement Diets and VLCDsMeal replacement diet plans provide a defined amount of energy often as a formula product. Such meal replacements can result in significant weight reduction, but lifestyle therapy must be continued if weight loss is to be maintained. For severely or super-obese patients with type 2 diabetes, medically-supervised very low calorie diets (VLCDs) which typically provide 800 or fewer calories daily can produce substantial weight loss as well as rapid improvements in glycemia and lipemia. However, when these low-calorie programs stop, weight regain is common. As a result, like meal replacement diets, very-low-calorie diets seem to have limited utility in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and should only be adopted in conjunction with a structured weight maintenance program in order to achieve long term weight reduction. Obese Diabetics Need SupportGiven the complex causes of obesity, it is no surprise that its treatment remains an equally complex process. Dietary education, nutritional advice, lifestyle counseling and support are all important in order to achieve sustained weight loss and should be an integral part of any structured weight loss program for patients with type 2 diabetes. |
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Carbs-Information.com provides general information about the glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL), low GI diets, GI values for all food groups, health problems of high blood glucose including metabolic disorders such as pre-diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinism as well as type 1 and type 2 diabetes. But no information is intended as a substitute for medical advice. Copyright 2003-2013. |