Diabesity – a marriage of obesity and diabetes – as unhealthy as it can be!

Diabesity is the union of our genes and our faulty lifestyle(s)!

Both obesity and type-2 diabetes (diabesity) are a major global health problem.

Obesity, which is a major recognised risk factor for type 2 diabetes, is rapidly increasing in prevalence, resulting in a diabesity epidemic

Diabesity is a new term coined to describe diabetes in the context of obesity (also referred to as obesity-dependent diabetes).

We all consume much more quantity of food than our daily calorie requirement. Our bodies store these excess calories as fat. Today, fast food and junk food form staple diet of most people everywhere. Coupled with our increasingly inactive lifestyle(s) – the couch potato syndrome – the result is obesity. And before long (5-7 years) it is diabesity!

The negative health impact of diabesity is huge and includes

• long-term diabetic complications,
• lowered body functioning,
• poorer quality of life and
• reduced overall life expectancy.

Long-term complications of diabesity include

• heart attacks (myocardial infarction),
• stroke and
• end-stage kidney disease (necessitating ongoing dialysis or kidney transplant).

If this was not enough, recent advances have also found the association linking chronic stress, depression and sleep problems to both diabetes and obesity.

A mention must be made here of the finding that diabetes and coronary artery disease associated with obesity are important factors that contribute to the reduction of the quality of life. It is reported that the risk of death increases by 20–40% in overweight individuals and by 2–3-times in obese individuals compared to normal weight individuals.

With increasing incidence of obesity in children, even diabetes is hitting younger and younger age groups. It is not uncommon to see Type 2 diabetes (maturity onset type) in early 20s!

What can be done?

1. Screen for early detection of diabetes: It is recommended that all individuals 30 years of age or above with risk factors (overweight or obese & at least one parent having diabetes) should be screened for type 2 diabetes once a year.
2. Even Pre-diabetes to be taken as a serious finding and steps taken to bring the levels back to ‘Non-diabetic’
3. Prevention and early management of obesity, especially in younger individuals, before the development of type 2 DM. It is better to start monitoring BMI (Body Mass Index) than just height and weight.
4. It has been suggested that fortifying the food with micronutrients Vit D & Vit E helps ward of diabesity.
5. Counselling obese individuals (by family doctors) about diet and exercise targeting modest sustained weight loss (3–5 kg for ≥ 1 year) is a preferred strategy. It may be argued that this is not enough. Right! But it prevents weight gain year on year.

Dr Chander Asrani, is a post-graduate in Family Medicine. He has over 37 years in family practice and has been offering wellness and disease management services to corporates. He is soon to launch virtual clinics.  He writes on various subjects of wellness; learning to live with chronic ailments and stress. Know more about him at about.me/drasrani.