My cousin has been 100 pounds overweight for 10 years but he runs regularly for 3 hours without a problem. He’s in great shape according to heatbeat, blood pressure and sugar level. So is it possible or should he lose the weight?
Most type 2 diabetics are overweight but only about half overweight people become diabetic!!
You must have the gene or the medications that lower the immune system before becoming diabetic. Yes, there are some medications that do have the side effect of maybe causing diabetes.
If he is continually running each day or so, he is in much better shape than some other people. But is his over weight fat or muscle? It would seem it is muscle from your description of him.
Yes. Not everyone who is obese has the genes for Type 2 diabetes, and some people even have protective genes.
That said, being severely overweight (i.e. 400 LBS+) often creates insulin resistance solely due to the excess fat. Fat is now recognized as an endocrine organ that secrets hormones, not an inert tissue. In this case, someone morbidly obese has a very good chance of being insulin resistant regardless of their genes. This may or may not eventually lead to Type 2 diabetes.
People with genes that highly predispose to Type 2 diabetes simply get the disorder with much less weight gain. 20 lbs overweight may do it.
In fact, just being 10 lbs overweight is enough to up your Type 2 diabetes risk, yet another reason to stay at a healthy weight.
While it’s better to be fat but fit, it’s best to be thin and fit. Excess weight is very hard on your heart, joints, liver,etc. Obesity is associated with many problems from asthma, to some types of cancer, to fatty liver disease.
Is your cousin still young? It would not be uncommon for a 20 year old obese person to still pass as “healthy”. But that may change when he reaches 40.
I agree that he may have excess muscle as opposed to fat (but not 100 lbs worth!). How are his thyroid hormones? Other hormone levels? Has he been tested for genetic metabolic diseases? How is his diet?
Perhaps he is just genetically larger. And that is OK if he is working out and eating healthy. But if his diet is poor, he should look at cleaning it up. This should help bring about weight loss and protect his health in the future.
Good luck!
less chances of become one,if he maintain his routine plus just watch his intake,over weight person has a big factor to this kind of disease.gud luck
Daisee on January 20th, 2010
Yes, people can be overweight and not get diabetes. Perhaps because they don’t have the gene for diabetes. However, obesity can cause other serious problems like fatty liver which can eventually cause cirrhosis.