Excessive Abdominal Fat Increases Risk of Type II Diabetes
People who have excessive amounts of fat in their abdominal area – regardless of what their total body weight is – may be putting themselves at a higher risk of developing type II diabetes – and by extension vision loss.
Dr. Jean-Pierre Després, Director of Research at the Quebec Heart Institute at the Laval Research Centre, has found in past studies that people have a greater chance of developing type II diabetes if their waistlines are out of control.
According to his research, women who have a waist measuring 85 centimetres or more, and men who have waist measurements of 90 centimetres or more, combined with triglyceride levels in the blood of more than 2 mmol/L, drastically increase their risk of developing type II diabetes. Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fat exists in our food and body.
Post-menopausal women are even more at risk of developing diabetes since abdominal fat can increase naturally by up to 30 per cent during menopause, whereas pre-menopausal women seem to be more protected against the accumulation of fat in the abdominal region.
According to Dr. Deprés, waistline management is just as important as checking your blood pressure or cholesterol level when it comes to diabetes prevention. Your best protection against diabetes (and the risk of
vision loss associated with diabetes) is to live actively and to enjoy a healthy diet. Simple steps like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, going for long walks and avoiding junk food can help you win the battle of the bulge and the fight against diabetes and vision loss.
Dr. Després is now trying to determine what types of exercise can better help post-menopausal women avoid unhealthy levels of abdominal fat. His current study, funded by the
Canadian Diabetes Association, will compare the effects of three different exercise programs in 450 post-menopausal women.