Diabetes Specialist
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South Sound Preventive Medicine
Obesity Medicine Specialist located in Olympia, WA
Diabetes is a serious disease in which your body can’t produce enough insulin to manage chronic high blood sugar levels. In more serious cases, the body can no longer produce insulin at all. Diabetes and obesity are diseases linked by complex biochemical processes that have become more clear in recent years. Obesity can cause diabetes and diabetes can cause obesity. Left untreated, diabetes leads to serious health complications that result in needless chronic pain and disability, and eventually, early death. However, it’s entirely possible to get your diabetes under excellent control, avoiding or delaying these painful complications. At South Sound Preventive Medicine located in Olympia, Washington and serving patients throughout Southwest Washington, Dr. Zechmann will take the time to help you understand diabetes and the most effective ways to treat it so that you can live a vibrant, happy, healthy life.
Diabetes Q & A
Does weight really have an impact on diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that has genetic causes. With Type 1 diabetes, your body does not produce insulin. Being overweight puts added stress on your body’s already compromised ability to produce insulin and makes controlling your blood sugar levels more difficult.
In cases of Type 2 diabetes, most of those affected are overweight or obese. This is because the insulin resistance that is the hallmark of Type 2 Diabetes causes fat gain, particularly around the midsection; the unhealthy “belly fat”. The growing rate of Type 2 diabetes in the United States is correlated with rising rates of obesity. As a matter of fact, many call it “diabesity.”
How can losing weight help prevent or manage type 2 diabetes?
Lifestyle largely determines whether you develop type 2 diabetes. Even losing just 5-10% of your existing weight can help improve health markers and reduce your risk of developing the condition.
At South Sound Preventive Medicine, we assist you in making changes to your nutrition and exercise habits to stimulate weight loss. Our medical weight-loss program produces results, and our staff stays with you even after you’ve achieved a healthy body composition. We help you keep the weight off, thus keeping your diabetes under control.
What are the complications of diabetes?
Left untreated or uncontrolled, diabetes puts you at risk for serious complications. These include:
- Cardiovascular disease (heart attack, stroke, aortic aneurysm)
- Eye problems and blindness
- Nerve damage (neuropathy)
- Peripheral vascular disease, which can lead to amputation
- Kidney disease and kidney failure
As you lose weight and get your blood sugar under better control, you reduce your risk of these debilitating and life-threatening complications. You also experience improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. This makes it more likely that you will be able to live a vibrant, healthy life.
