Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
The obesity epidemic in the United States has a serious impact on people’s health. This week on Health Watch, we’ll talk about some health issues related to obesity, as well as what can be done about it.
One disease affected by obesity is insulin-resistant diabetes. Insulin is the hormone that allows the body to generate energy from sugar. With insulin resistance, insulin doesn’t work as effectively. Type 2, or insulin-resistant, diabetes occurs when the body can’t make enough insulin to make up for the insulin resistance. High blood sugar levels from diabetes can damage eyes, kidneys and other organs. Dr. Roger Unger, a diabetes expert at
UT Southwestern Medical Center, says the change in the American diet in recent years has a lot to do with the rise in obesity and insulin-resistant diabetes.
Visit http://www.utsouthwestern.org/endocrinology to learn more about
UT Southwestern’s clinical services in endocrinology.
Next: How this epidemic came about
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March 2008
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