Type 2 Diabetes

The link between excess weight and type 2 diabetes is indisputable. Even if a person’s weight was normal from about age eighteen to twenty-two, adding weight as an adult translates into big risks for
developing this life-threatening disease. In a study involving over 37,000 women, researchers found that BMI predicted which women were likely to develop diabetes. Compared with women at a healthy weight, the risk was three times greater for overweight women and nine times greater for obese women. A study that included middleaged men found that even a minimal weight gain of about 61⁄2 pounds per decade produced more than a sevenfold increase in the risk of developing diabetes.
The take-home message for men and women, though, is positive. Although small weight gains increase the risk for type 2 diabetes, it takes only a small weight loss to reduce the risk. In a study involving about 7,000 British men, a mere 4 percent loss in body weight significantly reduced the risk for developing diabetes. So for a man who weighs 250 pounds, getting down to 240 pounds can result in a substantial health gain. A study involving over 100,00 women between the ages of thirty and fifty-five found that compared with women whose
weight remained stable during adulthood,women who gained 11 to 17 pounds after age eighteen had twice the risk of developing diabetes; women who gained 18 to 24 pounds tripled their risk. In contrast, women who lost 11 or more pounds reduced their risk of developing diabetes by at least 50 percent.

Excess Weight and Health: Risky Business

It’s important for women and men to understand that carrying extra pounds can affect their health. But the reality is that men and women often have very different attitudes about weight and health. While
women are usually interested in and concerned about their health and preventing problems, men tend to be less concerned—that is, until they experience a health problem. There’s research confirming that men’s interest in health appears to lag behind women’s.
Weight Watchers studies have found that men are less likely than women to take vitamins, scan the media for health-related information, be concerned about their blood cholesterol level, see their doctor for an annual physical checkup, or believe that a positive mental outlook affects their health.

This lack of health awareness is unfortunate for guys, since being overweight puts everyone at increased risk for health problems.That’s because certain diseases don’t discriminate between the sexes. Four major weight-related problems that affect the health of both men and women are type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and infertility.
Women can help guys reduce their risk of those problems by sharing information and helping them see the light—the fact that losing weight will lower their health risks. Here’s an update on the four conditions, along with the many health benefits that weight loss has to offer women and men.