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The Link Between Obesity And Diabetes

September 25, 2023

Type 1 Diabetes And Obesity

Unlike with Type 2 diabetes, the majority of people with Type 1 diabetes aren’t obese. But, there’s an association between obesity and the onset of Type 1 diabetes. Weight gain lowers the age at which a diagnosis is made. This is called “the accelerator hypothesis.” The diagnosis is accelerated in obese patients because of something called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance causes your cells to resist the effects of insulin. That means it takes more insulin to produce the same effect.  Overeating stresses a structure inside the cell called the endoplasmic reticulum. It sends out an alarm signaling the cell to dampen the insulin receptors on the outside of the cell. This is how the insulin transports glucose to the cell — it attaches to these insulin receptors. If they aren’t receiving, the insulin can’t attach, and the glucose can’t be transferred. Over time, this causes dysfunction in the beta cells of the pancreas. 

Type 2 Diabetes And Obesity

Insulin resistance also plays a major role in Type 2 diabetes. There are normal cycles of insulin sensitivity during a healthy individual’s life, but intermittent periods of insulin resistance resolve because of a continuous feedback between the beta cells and insulin sensitive tissues.  Adipose tissue (i.e., fat tissue) produces what are called non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA). These play a role in insulin release. In an obese individual, however, there’s constant exposure to NEFAs, and that eventually impairs beta cell function and the feedback mechanism that regulates blood glucose levels. The deregulation of blood glucose levels leads to the development of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. 

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