Excess Weight Can Be Deadly

I recently read an article in the New England Journal of Medicine which gave a very simple explanation about how excess weight affects insulin and therefore contributes to one in seven deaths in males. Quite simply, excess fat tissue causes cells to become less resistant to insulin. This results in an increased amount of insulin in the blood stream, as it is not being absorbed. All this excess insulin in the blood, spurs on the growth of cancerous cells in the body. The increased insulin presence also increases the levels of the hormones that stop cell death, therefore cell growth (both healthy and cancerous) can increase unchecked.

What is insulin?

Insulin is a hormone and is the key to unlocking the door of a cell allowing glucose to be transferred from the bloodstream into the cell. Aside from healthy and cancerous cell growth - extra insulin also signals the body to store more fat which can lead to diabetes or metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is not a disease in itself but a collection of disorders that occur together. A person is classed as having metabolic syndrome when they have central (abdominal) obesity, which is excess fat in and around the abdomen, plus any two of the following factors:

• Raised blood pressure (hypertension)
• High blood triglycerides
• Low levels of high density lipoproteins (HDL) - the 'good' cholesterol
• Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) – blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes

How to Avoid Increased Insulin in the Body

The best ways to avoid an increase of insulin in the body is to achieve a healthy level of weight and participate in regular exercise which will reduce insulin resistance in the body. Remember: research has found that even a small 5kg weight gain can have detrimental health effects including a significant impact upon resistance to insulin. So put on your trainers and get out to the park.

Written by Andrew Verdon, Springday Expert.

Back to Health

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