Losing weight means improving blood glucose levels, period,

1: Balance your numbers. “Weight loss may help reduce total blood cholesterol levels in addition to LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides (blood fats). Depending on how much you’re exercising, you may be able to see improvements in HDL (good) cholesterol as well,” says Dr. Ard.

2: Reduce that pressure. “It’s common to see a decrease of 1 mmHG for every 2 to 3 pounds of weight lost,” says Dr. Ard. (This means the top number of your blood pressure drops by one point). In fact, studies show weight loss may be quite helpful in lowering blood pressure.

Divert Diabesity

“Diabesity — obesity and diabetes together — is taking over the country,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and dietitian with the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Wellness Institute in Chicago. Diabetes occurs when the body either doesn’t make enough of the hormone insulin or the insulin doesn’t function properly in the body. It’s a serious disease. If diabetes is not well controlled, it can be a major risk factor for heart disease. And losing weight means better control of the disease all around.

3: Sweetens the deal. “Losing weight means improving blood glucose levels, period,” says Dr. Ard, “even for people who have high blood glucose but don’t yet have diabetes.” And normalizing blood glucose now means helping to reduce risk for diabetes down the road.

4: Better than meds. A study from the Diabetes Prevention Program research group provides a potent reason to believe in the power of weight loss: Overweight subjects who made lifestyle changes and lost 7 percent of their body weight and maintained the loss, reduced their risk of diabetes by 58 percent compared with the 31 percent drop seen when subjects took only medications.

Reduce Cancer Risk

Though researchers don’t completely understand why, there’s a strong relationship between being overweight and numerous types of cancer, including cancer of the colon, kidney and esophagus. In fact, the American Cancer Society has said, “The data suggest that overeating may be the largest avoidable cause of cancer in nonsmokers.”

5: Prune the apples. Men and women who carry the bulk of their extra weight around their middles are said to have the classic “apple shape,” putting them at risk for heart disease, diabetes and a variety of cancers. But research shows apple-shaped people who lose weight will lose much of their weight from their middles — especially during early weight loss — potentially decreasing disease risk.

6: Boost breast health. Research shows postmenopausal women who lose their extra pounds are less likely to develop breast cancer than those who gain or even maintain their weight. “Having a normal weight, in addition to a healthy lifestyle, is important in terms of reducing risk for breast and other cancers,” says Dr. Ard.

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Read this article in Live Better America

 

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