While it may seen counter-intuitive to many, the idea that people can be both healthy and overweight - and sometimes even more healthy than people who are thinner - is gaining both traction and attention. Several years ago, a number of studies demonstrated that people who are slightly overweight but who exercise have less risk of developing cardiac disease than people of normal weight but who are sedentary. This led to a recommendation that overweight individuals spend more time focused on their blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels than on the numbers on some scale.

Well, that idea is now being revised. The New York Times' Well blog recently took on the issue, reported by Gretchen Reynolds, weighing the scientific evidence and giving voice to a number of experts. The details and final assessment?

Dr. Richard Beliveau and Dr. Denis Gingras are the authors of Eating Well, Living Well, translated by Valentina Baslyk along with their bestselling books Foods That Fight Cancer and Cooking With Foods That Fight Cancer.

Here they explain the easy steps we should all take to prevent this type of diabetes.

Given the serious consequences emanating from insulin resistance and Type-2 diabetes, preventing this disease is certainly our best weapon in reducing the damage caused by a surplus of blood sugar. Luckily for us, the preventive potential is extraordinary: Adopting a healthy lifestyle can prevent up to 90 percent of Type-2 diabetes cases! To see how we can reduce the risk of diabetes, let us review some lifestyle factors.

1. Controlling body weight: Given that excess weight and obesity are instrumental in the development of Type-2 diabetes, maintaining a normal body weight is an essential aspect of any preventive approach. The most spectacular illustration of how weight loss can influence the risk of diabetes is undoubtedly the effect of bariatric surgery (reducing stomach size) on morbidly obese people. Radically reducing the size of the stomach rapidly decreases obesity and almost completely eliminates Type-2 diabetes!

However, it is neither necessary nor desirable to undergo this type of surgery to reap the benefits of weight loss: Losing just 5 kg, even over several years, can reduce the risk of diabetes by 50 percent! At a time when overweight has become the norm rather than the exception, Type-2 diabetes undoubtedly illustrates the dangers of excess weight and the need to be as slim as possible in order to prevent this disease.

2. Controlling glycemia:

Dear Sarah,

I am trying to lose weight. I am often think that if I go to the gym on an empty stomach that I will burn more calories. Is this true?

Maria

Dear Maria,

Working out on empty stomach is like trying to start your car without gasoline. You have to have glucose in your system to not only start your engine, but to keep it burning.

Glucose is the primary source of fuel during exercise, and it is derived from eating carbohydrates. Fats (triglycerides) are your secondary source of fuel and are stored in your fat cells.

More after the jump.