[VeeJay]

I am uncomfortable with a consensus based on what one "feels" or "believes" about an issue. I want more than that to base my understanding. The common belief that people develop diabetes because of what they ate is a fallacy in light of more recent research.

I am going to summarize a very well written article about the causes of Type2 diabetes by Jenny Ruhl from her very trusted site www.bloodsugar101.com
The article is found here https://www.bloodsugar101.com/the-real-causes-of-type-2-diabetes

Scientists have discovered that there are a set of abnormal genes in people with diabetes. The more of these genes one has, the more predisposed that person is to diabetes. But, not everyone with these genes will develop diabetes. Environmental factors can push those with borderline genes into full-fledged diabetes (i.e.: mother's gestational diabetes; exposure to toxins and pesticides, especially those chemicals that increase insulin resistance; etc. etc.).

The increase in diabetes diagnosis is not so much that there is more diabetes but that more doctors look for it, and in 1998 the ADA changed the diagnostic criteria for diabetes from FBG of 141 to 126 mg/dl. More modern medications can also be an issue - in 1970 doctors began prescribing statins at an alarming rate. Some antidepressants and cancer medications increase insulin resistance. Plus the population of at least the U.S. is getting older and along with age comes the failing of organs, one of which is the pancreas.

If one is already predisposed to developing diabetes, the strain of environmental pollution and aging can bring it on.

----

End of summary. My own thoughts. The idea that people eat their way to diabetes is outdated but still persists. Sure, many people with diabetes are overweight, but more overweight people are non-diabetic.

Non-diabetics have a fully functioning pancreas and health beta cells that not only produce insulin well, but will increase as the need for more insulin increases. Those with a compromised carbohydrate metabolism may have the same insulin resistance as the non-diabetic, but their pancreas just doesn't keep up with the need and often times instead of beta cell increase, there is more die-off of these cells, increasing the problem. Both these folks will gain weight because of the increased insulin in their blood stream caused by insulin resistance. The weight gain, however, is the result, not the cause.

I know this is a lengthy post, and I encourage you to read Jenny Ruhl's article in full. I knew most of this before, but the research from 2015 she covers was new to me (about the genes, etc.).

I could go on, because this subject fascinates me, but I'll stop now.

 

[T-Dynamo]

I am uncomfortable with a consensus based on what one "feels" or "believes" about an issue. I want more than that to base my understanding. The common belief that people develop diabetes because of what they ate is a fallacy in light of more recent research.

I am going to summarize a very well written article about the causes of Type2 diabetes by Jenny Ruhl from her very trusted site www.bloodsugar101.com
The article is found here https://www.bloodsugar101.com/the-real-causes-of-type-2-diabetes

Scientists have discovered that there are a set of abnormal genes in people with diabetes. The more of these genes one has, the more predisposed that person is to diabetes. But, not everyone with these genes will develop diabetes. Environmental factors can push those with borderline genes into full-fledged diabetes (i.e.: mother's gestational diabetes; exposure to toxins and pesticides, especially those chemicals that increase insulin resistance; etc. etc.).

The increase in diabetes diagnosis is not so much that there is more diabetes but that more doctors look for it, and in 1998 the ADA changed the diagnostic criteria for diabetes from FBG of 141 to 126 mg/dl. More modern medications can also be an issue - in 1970 doctors began prescribing statins at an alarming rate. Some antidepressants and cancer medications increase insulin resistance. Plus the population of at least the U.S. is getting older and along with age comes the failing of organs, one of which is the pancreas.

If one is already predisposed to developing diabetes, the strain of environmental pollution and aging can bring it on.

----

End of summary. My own thoughts. The idea that people eat their way to diabetes is outdated but still persists. Sure, many people with diabetes are overweight, but more overweight people are non-diabetic.

Non-diabetics have a fully functioning pancreas and health beta cells that not only produce insulin well, but will increase as the need for more insulin increases. Those with a compromised carbohydrate metabolism may have the same insulin resistance as the non-diabetic, but their pancreas just doesn't keep up with the need and often times instead of beta cell increase, there is more die-off of these cells, increasing the problem. Both these folks will gain weight because of the increased insulin in their blood stream caused by insulin resistance. The weight gain, however, is the result, not the cause.

I know this is a lengthy post, and I encourage you to read Jenny Ruhl's article in full. I knew most of this before, but the research from 2015 she covers was new to me (about the genes, etc.).

I could go on, because this subject fascinates me, but I'll stop now.

VeeJay, I honestly shrug my shoulders when someone blames genes as the cause of type 2 diabetes.

Humans eat highly processed foods (foods that contain concentrated doses of sugar, salt and saturated fats) from the time they are born, until the time they die.

I've read some of Jenny Ruhl's pages. She is in denial. She states; "some people can eat all the sugars and junk food they want, become obese and never get diabetes". Isn't that wonderful? Her statement doesn't prove that eating unhealthy is a good thing. It's like saying, I know people that smoke 2 packs of cigarettes per/day into their 80's and never get lung cancer therefore, smoking isn't the cause of lung cancer, genes are the cause. It's a silly notion!

• Smoking is bad for the human body.
• Eating poorly is bad for the human body.
• Being obese is bad for the human body.
• Not exercising is bad for the human body.
• Not changing the oil in your car is bad for the motor.

In closing - my A1c at dx was 10.9 with a BG of 220 mg/dl.
Today, after changing my lifestyle from 3 fast food meals per/day, to 3 healthy home cooked meals per/day, getting my body in shape through exercise and losing 35/lbs, my A1c is 4.9 (no meds whatsoever).

So, as long as I let myself go to s#it, I am diabetic. However, if I treat my body properly, I am now non-diabetic. And this isn't my belief, this is my experience!

 

[VeeJay]

I've read some of Jenny Ruhl's pages. She is in denial. She states; "some people can eat all the sugars and junk food they want, become obese and never get diabetes". Isn't that wonderful? Her statement doesn't prove that eating unhealthy is a good thing. It's like saying, I know people that smoke 2 packs of cigarettes per/day into their 80's and never get lung cancer.

She is not saying that it's a good thing to eat junk food. Just that eating junk food in itself doesn't cause diabetes.

I would be skeptical about the gene idea if it weren't that I have gluten intolerance and have two genes that predispose me to it. I lived 27 years without symptoms and then something triggered it and I began having difficulty with gluten. Stay away from gluten, and I'm okay. Eat gluten and I'm not.

It's something like what the research Jenny relays has come up with. The genes only predispose one to diabetes and it may take something else to "trigger" the diabetes. When that happens, stay away from carbs and you'll be okay. Eat lots of carbs and you're not. (Well, that's a very simplification but you get what I'm trying to say?)

 

[itissteve]

VeeJay, I honestly shrug my shoulders when someone blames genes as the cause of type 2 diabetes.

Humans eat highly processed foods (foods that contain concentrated doses of sugar, salt and saturated fats) from the time they are born, until the time they die.

I've read some of Jenny Ruhl's pages. She is in denial. She states; "some people can eat all the sugars and junk food they want, become obese and never get diabetes". Isn't that wonderful?

If I'm reading correctly what you wrote, Ruhl is not promoting eating "junk" food*. She is proving her point that it is not entirely the consumption of junk food that causes diabetes because the incidence of obesity (at least in the U.S.) does not correlate in proportion to the incidence of Type 2 diabetes. If eating poorly were the sole cause of T2, then everyone who was overweight would be T2 and that clearly is not so. There must be other factors.

The notion that eating poorly is the only cause of T2 diabetes is incomplete. Yes, people have been misled by the promotion of carbs and demotion of fats on the food pyramid and the marketing of 100-calorie carb-laden snacks as "good for you". The notion that getting T2 is only a matter of a genetic lottery, IMHO, also is incomplete. We can discuss nutritional components of diets to determine what constitutes poor nutrition, but that's a study we'll likely never see in a scientifically-valid form. But a more complete understanding of T2 diabetes and studies to date indicates that it is some combination of diet and genetics that makes the condition present itself, which is exactly VeeJay's point.

In closing - my A1c at dx was 10.9 with a BG of 220 mg/dl. Today, after changing my lifestyle from 3 fast food meals per/day, to 3 healthy home cooked meals per/day, getting my body in shape through exercise and losing 35/lbs, my A1c is 4.9 (no meds whatsoever).

So, as long as I let myself go to s#it, I am diabetic. However, if I treat my body properly, I am now non-diabetic. And this isn't my belief, this is my experience!

Others here have similar success stories. But make no mistake, as long as you have the symptoms of T2 when you "let myself go to s#it", you have diabetes. There may be "remission" but there is no retreat to "pre-diabetes" or "cured", even if the treatment is eating restrictions and exercise.


* "Junk food" is a loaded term, IMHO; I can raise my BG just as high eating ancient grains and honey as I can on Lil' Debby bars.

 

[T-Dynamo]

This is why I went from an A1C of 10.9 to an A1C of 4.9 (without medication).

These are some of the foods I eat (I also eat plenty of fruit).
I eat good complex carbs (non-processed).
I drink plenty of water.
I went from out of shape/fat to fit.
I lost 35/lbs.
I take a high quality multi-vitamin and minerals.
I don't do keto - I don't have too.

 

[soapluvr]

i have seen this happen to other people so no doubt what you say is true. They lost weight, exercised, chose healthy carbs instead of junky ones and their diabetes was gone. No keto for them.

Doesn't work that way for me. I've never had a weight problem and have mostly eaten healthy since I turned forty but when I was 53 i was diagnosed pre diabetic. I HAD to do keto to control it without drugs. And my A1C still hasn't gotten any lower than 5.8.