diabetes risk

Weighty matters for diabetics

The "size acceptance" crowd is throwing a party -- a pizza party, with cake for dessert, I'm sure -- in celebration of the news that fat diabetics outlive thin ones.

But put down the pizza and don't touch that cake, because I'm about to crash this party.

You see, on the surface this study might look like a big win for big people: Researchers found that slim and trim diabetics have nearly double the risk of death of those with plus-sized bods.

What's more, the increase in risk held even after they adjusted for all the usual suspects -- including the presence of any disease that might have caused them to be thin in the first place.

But what the study lacks is a little perspective. Specifically, WHY the fattest diabetics lived longer than the thin ones.

Seems backwards, doesn't it?

Not so much. Type 2 diabetes is almost always a disease of lifestyle. You earn it with every McDouble, every slice of pie, and every bucket of soda.

As a result, more than 85 percent of diabetics are fat.

The rest -- the thin ones -- obviously didn't take the same route to the disease. They have something else going on, like a genetic disorder that leads to problems producing insulin.

In other words, for these people, it was never about the weight in the first place -- even without putting on a single extra pound, they were already at a disadvantage.

And that's the REAL reason the disease is deadlier for them.

Now, if you're one of the rare thin diabetics this means you need to be extra careful with yourself.

But if you fall into the majority, remember: Living longer doesn't mean living better... but you don't have to choose one over the other. Drop the pizza and cake -- drop the pounds -- and you'll live longer AND better.

And if you want to learn how you could get the secret to putting yourself on the fast-track to being "NON-diabetic" in just six short weeks take a look at this special report, "Is diabetes a Bald-faced LIE!?" by our affiliates at Health Science Institute.

Now THAT'S how you party.

Time to check your pants size

Forty inches, men. And ladies, 35.

If you're not obese but find your waistline has reached those numbers or higher, you've got bigger problems than a figure that resembles Grimace from the old McDonald's commercials.

You've got a higher risk of diabetes.

Obviously extra weight is always a risk factor for diabetes, but new numbers show the actual size of the waist is even more important -- especially when it comes to people who are overweight but not obese.

That risk kicks in at 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women, so go and check your pants size and see where you fit in (I'm speaking to the men; I know you ladies have that number committed to memory even if you'll never say it aloud).

Fat throughout the body can be harmful, but fat in the middle is the type of fat that causes hormone levels to fluctuate -- and that hormonal roller-coaster ride can cause or worsen insulin resistance.

And eventually, you've got diabetes even if you're not obese.

The best way to prevent new holes in your belt is to avoid the carbs. I know I say this all the time, but it's especially true here. Along with promoting overall weight gain, carbs cause the body to create fat where you want it least: right in the middle.

A study some years back from Tufts University found people who ate refined grains and breads low in fiber had triple the increase in waist size compared to those who ate whole grains and fruits.

You can do even better if you skip almost all the grains -- whole or otherwise -- and limit your fruit. And don't even worry about fiber.