Monday, 06 September 2021 15:46

Losing 5% of weight can reduce the risk of developing diabetes

Written by Evelyn Alas

Many people who are overweight or obese believe that there is no feasible solution and that they must live with this condition for life, however, this is not the case. What if we told you that losing at least 5% of your current weight would prevent other types of diseases and, therefore, significantly improve your health?

Losing weight can be complicated; some people may even perceive it as almost impossible, since there are factors that play against it, such as genetics, behavioral, metabolic and hormonal aspects.

Weight loss begins with awareness, understanding that obesity is a disease and that it is an issue that goes beyond the physical aspect, so it must be treated by a health professional.

Obesity is a disease that occurs due to the accumulation of excessive fat in the body and is detrimental to health 5 as it causes various comorbidities, that is to say, adverse conditions in addition to overweight 7 such as diabetes, depression, cardiovascular disease, infertility and various types of cancer.

Therefore, it is important to work together with a professional to achieve various goals for continuous improvement, such as a 5% reduction in current weight.

Scientific evidence supports that losing at least 5% brings multiple health benefits as the person improves their health and quality of life. Dr. Victor Nolasco, medical manager of Novo Nordisk CLAT assures that "it is important to understand that if you are looking for a goal that can be maintained in the long term it is necessary that a health professional determines the case to make a personalized plan to propose the best mechanisms to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle; and that it is not about big changes but small steps, although people may believe that losing 5% of weight is not worth it, the effects on overall health prove otherwise".

And how does obesity impact our organism?

For starters, a person with obesity has a three times higher risk of suffering from diabetes, either type 1 or 2.

Likewise, the probabilities of developing depression increase, since both conditions are highly related. Studies show that about 43% of people with depression have obesity and people with depression who are not obese have a 58% chance of developing obesity.

A person with obesity also has a high chance of developing 13 types of cancer, or 40% of all cancers diagnosed.

In addition, it has been suggested that 12% of primary infertility is a consequence of weight problems. In the case of men, obesity reduces the sperm count by up to 24% and in the case of women, the rate of spontaneous abortions reaches 40% when the body mass index is higher than 30 14.15.

Finally, the Framingham study showed that 70% of cases of hypertension (HTA) in men and 61% in women are attributable to excess accumulated body fat.

This condition is a chronic disease, recognized by the WHO 17 and should be treated with comprehensive care that addresses each of the factors that cause it. "Measuring BMI (body mass index) is recommended to know if there is overweight or obesity in the body. Tools such as https://www.soymaria.com/app/ can help you through artificial intelligence.

If you have a body mass index greater than 30, it is recommended that you see a specialist to treat the disease and improve your quality of life", concluded Nolasco.