Improving Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity Through Lifestyle

Featuring Dr. Ronald Goldenberg, MD, FRCPC, FACE, Endocrinologist

Duration: 2 minutes, 45 seconds Video Title: Improving Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity Through Lifestyle Modifications Type 2 diabetes is an epidemic, largely driven by the epidemic of obesity, and in fact 90 percent of individuals with type 2 diabetes are either overweight or obese.

And that’s why weight loss is such a crucial component for the treatment of an individual with type 2 diabetes. In fact, studies show that if you lose five percent of your body weight you can dramatically improve your health pertaining to type 2 diabetes – not just the blood glucose but blood pressure, cholesterol and other measures of health can dramatically improve.

So to lose weight we obviously encourage exercise, we recommend 150 minutes of a brisk activity most days of the week, and if you can add in some resistance exercise that’s highly recommended as well. Often if you see a health care professional they can help you design an exercise program and tailor it to your needs.

Exercise not the only thing, obviously intervention with diet is appropriate, and we definitely recommend calorie restriction to lose a modest amount of weight, but we prefer you do it in a healthy way by following a balanced diet and this is where dietitians can play a crucial role.

Also, most individuals with type 2 diabetes will be on medication to treat their glucose and other parameters. Some medications for type 2 diabetes can actually cause weight gain, so speaking to your physician and being on medication that does not cause weight gain – or maybe even cause weight loss – may be a good strategy to consider and discuss with your physician.

And also the pharmacist can play a crucial role in helping you achieve your lifestyle goals in managing your type 2 diabetes. So you can get instruction for glucose monitoring to help monitor your success and your glucose levels, and if you’re on therapy such as insulin, the pharmacist can play a crucial role in instructing you how to use your insulin pen device.

Type 2 diabetes is a very gratifying condition to treat, both from the physician and patient perspective, because you can get tremendous improvements in your health with lifestyle changes.

Even a modest weight loss of five or ten pounds can dramatically improve your overall health, especially when used in conjunction with an appropriate and sometimes necessary medication.

If you do have type 2 diabetes and you’re embarking on a lifestyle change with or without medication, please see your physician so an appropriate plan can be made.

Video Title: Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity - Improving Health Outcomes Through Lifestyle Modifications

Presenter: Dr. Ronald Goldenberg, Endocrinologist, Thornhill, ON

Local Practitioners: Endocrinologist