Almost All Obese Men Will Eventually Become Diabeic

This month, two studies show that being overweight shortens life. A study from the University of Uppsala in Sweden followed 1800 Swedish overweight men, from age 50 for 30 years and showed that almost all are at high risk for heart attacks and premature death (Circulation, December 2009). The authors showed that overweight men who originally did not have metabolic syndrome eventually suffered from metabolic syndrome, diabetes and heart attacks.

Metabolic syndrome is considered to be early diabetes and includes high blood sugar and triglycerides, high blood pressure, low good HDL cholesterol, and abdominal obesity (40 inches for men, 35 for women). In this study, being overweight without metabolic syndrome increased heart attack rate by more than 95 percent, and being verweight with metabolic syndrome increased the rate by more than 155 percent.

In another study, researchers at the University of Bristol in the UK and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden analyzed more than a million Swedish mother-son and father-son pairs over age 50. They showed that the sons who were overweight tended to have parents who had died prematurely and had an extremely high incidence of heart attacks, diabetes, and some cancers (British Medical Journal, January, 2010).

Fat cells are like endocrine glands. As they fill with fat, they release hormones that turn on your immunity to cause inflammation. An overactive immunity damages artery walls to cause heart attacks and strokes. High blood fat levels block insulin receptors so your cells cannot respond to insulin and your blood sugar levels rise too high. This causes sugar to stick to cell membranes to damage arteries to cause heart attacks and strokes. Since your insulin receptors are blocked, your pancreas releases increasing amounts of insulin which constricts arteries to cause heart attacks.

Storing fat primarily in your belly rather than in your hips means that you already have high insulin levels, which shortens lives and increases heart attack risk. Insulin specifically causes fat to be stored in your belly.

If you can pinch more than an inch of fat in your belly, you are overweight and at increased risk for metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart attacks, and premature death. You should first be cleared by your doctor for exercise and try to exercise every day. Avoid all foods that cause a high rise in blood sugar, particularly sugared drinks, foods made from flour, and sugar-added foods. Eat large amounts of vegetables. Avoid red meat, lose weight, and make sure that your vitamin D3 level is above 75 nmol/L.