Can Weight Loss Help You Control Blood Sugar Levels? Here's The Link Between Weight Loss And Diabetes

Weight loss provides you several health benefits. Diabetics are often advised to lose weight. Can weight loss help you manage blood sugar levels? Weight loss requires following a healthy diet and regular exercise. It will help you maintain healthy blood pressure numbers as well as improve your heart health. A healthy weight is also linked with several other health benefits including controlled risk of diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, hypertension and many other health issues. Can weight loss help you manage healthy blood sugar levels? Can it also help you fight complications of diabetes? Here are the answers.

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Benefits of weight loss for diabetics

Dr. Rakesh Kumar Prasad who is a senior consultant endocrinologist at Fortis Hospital explains the relation between weight loss and diabetes.

First of all, it is important to understand the connection between excess body weight and diabetes. Your body requires calories to convert them into energy, while the food you consume is carried to the muscles by glucagon for obtaining energy. The body produces insulin to consume it, but if the body is not consuming the calories, it will be stored as fat, but the production of insulin will increase to maintain healthy glucose levels.

Exercise can help you control blood sugar levels
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This excess fat stored will prevent metabolic functions to behave normally. While excess fat prevents the muscles from absorption of glucagon, thus the body produces more insulin to maintain the activity. And when the activity does not function even after the production of excess insulin, the person becomes insulin resistant, diabetic.

Similarly, weight loss is the exact opposite of weight gain excess fat gets removes and the insulin is produced naturally. Thus removing excess fat (body weight) will assist in normal production of insulin. And once the person gets back to his normal weight, blood glucose levels can become normal and even the condition (diabetes) can be reversed.

Also read: Diabetes Diet: These Are The Best Drinks Other Than Water For People With Diabetes

How to manage healthy blood sugar levels?

There are three universal ways to manage blood sugar levels - a combination of medication, diet and exercise. Dieting does not means to starve, weight loss means restricted intake of calories, but in proportion with the recommended values of carbohydrates, proteins and essential fats. It is also recommended to exercise daily at least 45 minutes followed by a weight-bearing exercise regime.

Consume a healthy diet to control blood sugar levels and maintain a healthy weight
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A person doesn't need to lose 3-4 kgs in a month, but steadily losing even 1 kg per month is enough.

If you are diabetic, consume a healthy diet and take recommendations from your medical adviser before making any major change in your schedule.

Also read: Diagnosed With Diabetes? Here's How You Can Maintain Healthy Blood Sugar Levels

(Dr. Rakesh Kumar Prasad, Senior Consultant, Endocrinologist, Fortis Hospital, Noida)

Also read: Can Diabetics Eat Fruits? Know Tips To Choose The Right Fruits

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.