Complications from obesity
You know that saying, "When it rains, it pours?" Well, welcome to the world of obesity.
It's no surprise that developing one disease increases your risk of developing another disease ... and then another and another. And nowhere is this chain played out more clearly than in the relationship between obesity, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease.
Think about it: We know for a fact that obesity is the biggest culprit when it comes to type 2 diabetes. We also know that by staying trim and healthy, most people can avoid this disease altogether. And yet the number of obese people continues to rise. And, accordingly, so does the number of type 2 diabetes cases.
Now here's another disease that keeps rising in number: Alzheimer's disease. And recent evidence has shown that one disease in particular increases your risk for Alzheimer's. You guessed it: diabetes.
So in case you haven't figured it out, here's how it goes: Gain weight, become obese, become diabetic, and increase your risk for Alzheimer's.
Things aren't looking good for the generation of elderly folks to come. In fact, doctors are becoming more and more concerned that as the number of diabetes cases increases, so will the number of Alzheimer's patients. So to me, it makes sense to stop the thing that causes diabetes: obesity.
In fact, what gets to me the most is that this problem is just so preventable. The answer is so simple: cut the fat, cut your risk of two major diseases. (Not to mention heart disease, strokes, and kidney failure.)
That's right. You have to fight the fat, as well as the disease.
Now, I have written dozens of times by now on fighting weight gain and obesity, and I hate to repeat myself over and over again, as much as you hate hearing it. But, like always, losing weight always comes down to diet and exercise.
Not weight loss drugs or fad diet plans.
If you want to lose weight (and cut your risk of diabetes and Alzheimer's while you do it), you need to be exercising at least (but preferably more than) 30 minutes every day. And I mean real exercise. Go for a jog or a power walk. Join a gym. Lift weights. Take up aerobics or yoga. Find the exercise you're most likely to do, and then go do it.
And, finally, there's food. And when it comes to food, it all comes down to priorities. Is McDonald's more important to you than dropping weight? I doubt it. Instead of those fatty, fried chicken nuggets and chemically enhanced "burgers," you should be eating lean meats, cutting out trans fats, and keeping track of the nutritional information of the foods you eat. You also need to be getting at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. (And fried okra doesn't count!)
