Fat can lead to diabetes—especially Type 2 diabetes—because excess body fat interferes with how your body uses insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. Here’s how it works:
🧪 1. Fat Causes Insulin Resistance
- Insulin helps your cells absorb glucose (sugar) from the blood.
- When you have too much fat, especially around the abdomen, your cells become less responsive to insulin.
- This condition is called insulin resistance.
- As a result, glucose builds up in your bloodstream instead of entering your cells—leading to high blood sugar.
🔥 2. Fat Tissues Trigger Inflammation
- Fat cells, particularly visceral fat (fat around organs), release inflammatory chemicals (like cytokines).
- These chemicals interfere with insulin signaling and worsen insulin resistance.
🩺 3. Fat Buildup in Organs Damages Their Function
- Fat can accumulate in the liver and pancreas, two organs critical for blood sugar regulation.
- Fatty liver reduces insulin’s effectiveness.
- Fat in the pancreas can impair the cells that make insulin.
🔄 4. Vicious Cycle: More Fat → More Insulin → More Fat
- As insulin resistance grows, your body produces more insulin to compensate.
- But insulin also signals the body to store more fat—especially abdominal fat.
- This creates a cycle of worsening insulin resistance and fat accumulation.
🎯 Key Risk Area: Belly Fat
- People with central obesity (fat around the waist) are at higher risk than those who carry fat in hips/thighs.
- This type of fat is more metabolically active and more likely to cause insulin resistance.
🏃 Good News: It’s Reversible
- Losing even 5–10% of your body weight can improve insulin sensitivity.
- Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and sleep can reduce fat and protect against diabetes.