Diabesity is the coexistence of obesity and type 2 diabetes. It is the end of a chain that runs from insulin resistance to weight gain, obesity and full-blown diabetes. Its root cause is insulin resistance, not high blood sugar. Because diet and lifestyle drive that resistance, it can be reversed.
If you are like most people, you probably think I have confused diabetes with diabesity. Or you are probably wondering whether I meant to say obesity. You are not far from the truth, because diabesity is a modern disease that links obesity with type 2 diabetes. Diabesity should concern people with normal blood sugars who may be used to unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits. Sadly, not much is said about diabesity. Yet it can set you up for severe obesity, diabetes, and other fatal chronic conditions.
What Is Diabesity?
Diabesity is a chain of events. It starts with ideal blood sugar balance. Next comes growing insulin resistance, then being overweight, then becoming obese, and finally full-blown Type-2 Diabetes. It comes in a spectrum that includes high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other health problems. These problems stem from diet, lifestyle, and environmental toxins interacting with our own unique genetic risks. A study published in NCBI in 2013 concluded that “(diabesity) makes a strong call for utilizing indigenous, low-cost means of enhancing healthy dietary and physical activity habits.” Diabesity can also be described as obesity and type 2 diabetes existing together.
What Are The Triggers For Diabesity?
Diabesity occurs after insulin resistance and obesity develop. Your diet may be full of empty calories: quickly absorbed sugars, liquid calories (soda, juice, sports drinks), and refined carbohydrates. When it is, you are likely to become resistant to insulin. Insulin (made by beta cells in the pancreas) is the hormone that grabs glucose out of the bloodstream and stores it in cells. This keeps blood sugar even in the blood. When the body starts ignoring the signal sent out by insulin, we call this insulin resistance. A high insulin level is one of the first signs. That is because beta cells keep releasing more and more insulin to try to correct the problem. Sadly, the higher your insulin levels are, the worse your insulin resistance becomes. High insulin levels will also cause a spike in appetite, which leads to overeating. Very soon, you gain weight around the belly. You get more inflammation and oxidative stress. Other effects follow, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, low HDL, atherosclerosis (hardened arteries), and a higher risk of cancer, Alzheimer’s, and depression.
Note that the root cause of the problem is insulin resistance, not high blood sugar. Luckily, insulin resistance can be reversed, since it is strongly linked to a poor diet and an unhealthy lifestyle.
Most people can save themselves from diabesity. They do it by removing the factors that throw their biology out of balance. Then they replace them with what the body needs to re-balance itself.
Diabesity and Genetics
Many people believe that insulin resistance and diabesity are genetic conditions that cannot be controlled from the outside. True enough, our genes play a role in how we choose what to eat and how to live. They also play a role in the development of insulin resistance. However, insulin resistance and diabesity are greatly influenced by diet and lifestyle. By controlling these factors, you can greatly lower your chances of developing these conditions.
How To Reverse Diabesity
Before reversing diabesity, there are a few things you can do to stay safe. They include:
- Know the signs of insulin resistance.
One of the first tell-tale signs of insulin resistance is weight gain you cannot control. On rare occasions, you might also have higher blood pressure and skin darkening (acanthosis nigricans). Sadly, insulin resistance may go unnoticed for years. So you may be better off having some tests done.
- Get the right tests done
You should get tested if type 2 diabetes runs in your family and you also have a poor diet and a sedentary (inactive) lifestyle. An insulin response test is the best test to tease out the condition.
If you have already been diagnosed with diabesity, here are three things you can do to start reversing it.
Make healthy diet choices
This may take input from your physician, your nutritionist/ dietician, and yourself to come up with the right meal plan. A healthy diet starts by cutting out sugary and processed foods. Opt for red meat, fish, eggs, fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, and real olive oil. You can read more about this type of diet in foods that improve insulin sensitivity.
Get adequate rest
Stress is a major contributor to insulin resistance and blood sugar imbalance. Stress also contributes to unhealthy food choices and overeating. You need to make a conscious effort to de-stress often by:
- Sleeping for at least 7 hours daily
- Practicing relaxation techniques such as yoga
- Taking breaks in between work, like every two hours
- Taking sabbaticals (long breaks from work) and vacations from time to time
Quit a sedentary lifestyle
Modern jobs involve sitting at an office desk and typing for hours on end. In a world where work is paid by the hour, it can be hard to make time for exercise. But when you consider the long-term harm of a sedentary lifestyle, you will be forced to rethink the value of the extra money. What is the point if it’s going to cost your health in the long run? Quitting a sedentary lifestyle means making deliberate choices about exercise and fitness. This may mean walking at least 30 minutes every day. Or it may mean more vigorous aerobic exercise 4-6 times a week.
Related reading
- Diabesity and Inflammation
- Does Sugar Consumption Cause Obesity?
- Reversing Type 2 Diabetes: Power Foods Podcast Ep. 240
- Is the Carnivore Diet a Threat to Conventional Medicine?
- Reversing Diabetes: What Works
References
1. Science Daily (2012): Genetic variants are linked to obesity and insulin resistance. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120626151107.htm
2. NCBI (2011): Is fast food addictive? Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21999689
3. NCBI (2013): Diabesity. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23905459
4. NCBI (2008): High-fat diets cause insulin resistance despite an increase in muscle mitochondria. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2409421/
Medically reviewed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
Interventional pain physician, addiction medicine specialist and obesity medicine diplomate.
Licensed in Missouri and Illinois.
Last reviewed June 18, 2026
