If you have a diabetic in your family, you probably struggle with your weight

An Australian study has confirmed what we have always known; people with a type 2 diabetic in their family gain weight more easily.

The study recruited 40 lucky (or unlucky) people who were asked to gorge on fattening snacks for a month. The subjects had to eat an extra 1250 calories each day comprising of chocolate bars, potato crisps and dairy desserts. Not surprisingly, everyone in the study gained weight.

However, the people who reported having at least one family member with type 2 diabetes gained significantly more weight. They gained an average of 1.2 more kilos (2.6 pounds). All of the people in the study were healthy, and their weight ranged from lean to overweight. None of them were obese.

People with a family history of type 2 diabetes gained an average of 3.8 kilos (8.3 pounds) in the 28 days they were eating an extra 1250 calories. That is a lot of weight for not too many calories. It is slightly more than the amount of calories in a 200 gram (7 ounce) block of chocolate. It’s quite easy to accumulate this many extra calories throughout the day if you nibble on a bit of junk food at morning tea, some after lunch and some after dinner.

The people with a family history of type 2 diabetes also showed a marked rise in their blood insulin level during the month. This is not surprising because we know type 2 diabetics produce too much insulin and it is insulin that drives weight gain, particularly in the abdominal region. Insulin also stimulates hunger and cravings, particularly for sugar and carbohydrate rich foods. High insulin levels also trigger high blood pressure, fatty liver and clogged arteries.

It is very interesting to see how the same poor diet can have vastly different effects on people, depending on their genetic makeup. When you look around, I’m sure you’ve noticed plenty of people who eat terribly unhealthy and fattening food, yet manage to remain healthy. There are also plenty of people who really don’t eat too badly, yet they are plagued with poor health and stubborn excess pounds. In the study I’ve mentioned, all of the participants lost the extra weight 14 weeks later, and the people with and without a family history of diabetes were all able to lose the excess weight in roughly the same time frame.

Why do diabetics gain weight more easily?

Before a person is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, they have a condition known as insulin resistance (also known as syndrome X and metabolic syndrome). All of these terms describe a state whereby the body produces too much insulin in response to carbohydrate ingestion. Insulin triggers the conversion of dietary carbohydrate into body fat, and it increases the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides that the liver manufactures. Over time, insulin levels continue to rise and the cells of the body become less and less responsive to insulin. This means that insulin is not able to get sugar (glucose) inside the cells of your body as well. Therefore sugar accumulates in your bloodstream and you can develop diabetes.

People with a relative who has type 2 diabetes are genetically prone to developing the condition themselves. These people are super sensitive to carbohydrate and sugar rich foods such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, breakfast cereals and all foods containing sugar and flour. They do not handle common levels of carbohydrate in their diet well. These people’s bodies are experts at converting carbs and sugar into fat.

What can be done?

While we can’t control our genes, we have complete control over our diet and lifestyle. Here are our recommendations for losing weight and preventing type 2 diabetes:

• Minimise your intake of flour and sugar. You need to base your diet on vegetables and protein (for example fish, poultry, eggs, red meat, protein powder). Small quantities of fruit, nuts, seeds and legumes are allowed. Our book called Can’t Lose Weight? Unlock the Secrets that keep you Fat contains a low carbohydrate eating plan and lots of recipes.
• Exercise most or all days of the week. Our bodies were designed to move, however modern lifestyles mean that most of us spend the majority of our day sitting. This not only promotes weight gain; it also results in low energy levels and mood disturbances such as anxiety or depression.
• Try to get adequate good quality sleep. Experiments have shown that getting less than six hours of sleep per night, or having broken sleep raises insulin and blood sugar levels, placing a person at enormously increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Nearly every sleep deprived person is overweight, and the ones who aren’t usually cope with copious cigarettes and caffeine throughout the day.
• Ensure you are not deficient in the minerals chromium and magnesium. Both of these minerals are vital for insulin action. This means they help to prevent high blood sugar and also reduce excessive hunger and carbohydrate cravings.
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