Wellness & Fitness

How weight loss can tame Type 2 diabetes

treadmill

Seventeen year-old Marissa Hamilton walks on a treadmill during fitness training at Wellspring Academy October 19, 2009 in Reedley, California. AFP PHOTO

Ken Otieno was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2013. He had been battling obesity a few years before the diagnosis and this largely contributed to the development of the disease.

As per the recommended guidelines, Otieno was put on treatment, which included the use of insulin injections. He was also advised to eat healthy and exercise so as to better manage the disease.

When people are obese, fat accumulation in the stomach usually prevents insulin (the hormone that regulates body sugar) from working effectively hence causing Type 2 diabetes.

This is because the fat destroys special types of cells in the pancreas — known as beta cells — which produce insulin.

For a long time, scientists thought that once the cells had been destroyed, the damage was irreversible.

This meant that people with Type 2 diabetes could not get rid of it or be cured from the condition. It is for this reason that patients are usually put on treatment for life.

New research is, however, casting doubt on this school of thought.

A recent clinical trial conducted in Newcastle and Glasgow universities revealed that in some people, Type 2 diabetes can be reversed — even six years into the disease- with a radical low-calorie diet that enhances weight reduction.

According to the study, which was published in The Lancet Journal, nine out of 10 people in the trial who lost 15 kilogrammes or more put their Type 2 diabetes into remission.

“Our findings suggest that even if you have had Type 2 diabetes for six years, putting the disease into remission is feasible,” said Professor Michael Lean, a senior author of the study from the University of Glasgow.

“In contrast to other approaches, we focus on the need for long-term maintenance of weight loss through diet and exercise.”

Professor Roy Taylor, another senior author of the study from the Newcastle University stated: “Rather than addressing the root cause, current management guidelines for Type 2 diabetes focus on reducing blood sugar levels through drug treatments. Diet and lifestyle are touched upon but diabetes remission by cutting calories is rarely discussed.”

A follow up study published this month in the Cell Metabolism Journal reveals that this successful response to weight loss is associated with the early and sustained improvement in the functioning of pancreatic beta cells.

The findings show that substantial weight loss results in reduced fat inside the liver and pancreas, allowing the organs to return to normal function. This explains how weight loss can help some people to kick-start their insulin production again and hence cure Type 2 diabetes.

According to the World Health Organisation, diabetes affects approximately 422 million people worldwide.

Approximately 90 per cent of cases are Type 2 diabetes.

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) notes that there are close to half a million (458,900) diabetes cases in Kenya.

But this figure is expected to be much higher since the Ministry of Health states that more than 50 per cent of cases in Kenya are undiagnosed.

“We know that there are many Kenyans out there with the disease yet they are not aware of it. They usually come to the hospital when it’s too late. We see them when the disease is at an advanced stage and the high blood sugar has already caused damage to their body organs,” said Dr Joseph Kibachio, head of the non-communicable disease (NCD) control unit at the Health ministry.

Indeed, government statistics from the Kenya Stepwise Survey for NCDs risk factors indicates that close to 90 (87.8) per cent of the country’s population has never been tested for raised blood sugar, which is used to detect diabetes.

Yet, late diagnosis of the disease leads to secondary complications like kidney failure, hypertension, leg amputation and vision loss among those with the disease.

In its initial stages, diabetes just as other NCDs, does not present with pain or any noticeable signs.

Symptoms of the disease include: increased thirst, frequent urination, increased hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, slow healing sores or frequent infections.

Lifestyle choices that make people vulnerable to the disease include lack of exercise, unhealthy diets and obesity.