What are the right things to do to prevent diabetes in obese people?
We are not talking about diet, but about hygiene rules that everyone should follow to limit diabetes risks and cardiovascular disease. It is about respecting a certain dietary balance by limiting anything that is very caloric such as added fat and hidden fat found in meats, cold cuts, pizzas and ready-made meals sold in stores. We can’t repeat it enough: fruit is the best dessert. Of course, snacking and sugary drinks should be avoided.
And from the point of view of physical exercise?
When the muscles move, the whole metabolism works better. When it comes to diabetes, insulin works three to four times better in people who exercise. But this effect only lasts between 24 and 36 hours. It is for this reason that we advise diabetics to practice sport in small doses, but every day or every other day at most. The recommended 30 minutes can be sliced into several slices and the goal becomes easier to achieve. For example: getting off the metro a few stops earlier, avoiding the elevator, etc. We often advise our patients to buy a pedometer. Taking between 8,000, at a minimum, and 10,000 steps a day is already an interesting activity.
When should surgery be done?
Drug treatments for diabetes only work when combined with a healthy lifestyle. In case of severe and persistent obesity, surgery may be used to reduce the fat mass. The results are excellent, 50 to 60% of patients who have had an operation manage their diabetes without medication. Two types of intervention are possible: reversible operations, such as the gastric band, and irreversible ones such as gastric plication or short-circuiting of the intestine. All these techniques have contraindications, for this reason it is essential that the patient be accompanied by specialists. He must also perform a food hygiene test for six months to be sure that surgery is the only option available.
What are the risks in case of diabetes, obesity and pregnancy?
Type 2 diabetes, linked to being overweight and sedentary, usually develops around the age of 50. Pregnancy cases are therefore limited, but constantly increasing, as we are seeing more and more cases of type 2 diabetes in young people. When the expectant mother suffers from diabetes unbalanced at the time of conception, the fetus is at risk of malformation. If diabetes develops after the third month of pregnancy, which is called gestational diabetes, then the risks are different: a baby weighing more than four kilograms at the time of birth, complications at the time of birth. childbirth, etc. Screening is essential, it is also mandatory today.