The Link Between Being Overweight and Type 2 Diabetes
Apr 08, 2025
Which came first — diabetes or obesity?
At Rios Healthcare Associates, we see patients every day in Houston and Sugar Land, Texas, trying to figure out this connection. If you wonder how weight influences diabetes (and vice versa), you’ve come to the right place.
Here, Dr. Tomas Rios and Dr. Nicolin Neal explain the two-way relationship between your weight and diabetes.
Excess weight, especially when stored as fat around your abdomen, is a significant risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. Research shows that adults with obesity are six times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those at a healthy weight.
This risk increases as your body mass index (BMI) climbs, and here’s why.
Fat tissue isn’t just a storage space for energy. It actively impacts how your body processes insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. When fat cells grow, they release chemicals and hormones that can change how your body uses insulin, often leading to insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance forces your pancreas to produce more insulin to keep your blood sugar levels in check. Over time, this overwork damages your pancreas, insulin production decreases, and blood sugar levels rise — triggering the onset of diabetes, a chronic disease.
The relationship between weight and diabetes is a two-way street. Not only can obesity cause diabetes, but having diabetes also makes it harder to manage your weight.
Here’s how diabetes influences weight:
High insulin levels (common in Type 2 diabetes) tell your body to store more fat, especially in your midsection.
Fluctuating blood sugar levels confuse your body. You feel tired, sluggish, and unmotivated to exercise.
Unstable blood sugar may trigger cravings for sugary or high-carb snacks, which can lead to weight gain.
This cycle — weight gain contributing to diabetes, and diabetes contributing to weight challenges — creates what some experts refer to as “diabesity.” The good news is you can break the cycle with the right plan and support.
Managing weight and diabetes requires a proactive, personalized approach. We offer comprehensive care for both conditions, including:
Crash diets or extreme exercise regimens aren’t realistic, rarely work, and never last. We guide you in making lifestyle changes you can sustain for life. We focus on daily nutrition, physical activity, and the habits behind unhealthy weight gain.
Depending on your circumstances, we may also recommend safe, FDA-approved medications that control appetite or optimize how your body processes food.
Living with Type 2 diabetes means managing blood sugar levels, preventing complications, and supporting other areas of your health. We customize a chronic disease management plan that fits seamlessly into your daily life.
For example, we may include routine lab testing to monitor your blood sugar and cholesterol and recommend personalized dietary adjustments.
We believe effective care considers more than just your symptoms. Stress, sleep patterns, and work-life balance all affect weight and diabetes management, so we develop a care plan tailored to your unique needs.
Shedding even 5%-10% of your body weight can lower your risk of diabetes and its complications. Bonus: It can improve your overall health too. Whether you just learned you have Type 2 diabetes or want to prevent the diagnosis, we’re here to help you take control.
Call Rios Healthcare Associates today or request an appointment online to explore how our weight loss and chronic disease services can help you break the cycle.