Can anyone tell me... I understand some people get juvenile diabetes and I suppose that means it's genetic? What about adult-onset or whatever they call it. Type II? My question is... do you think that this is mostly caused by a high-carb diet? Maybe there are other factors... but basically, does it just boil down to "we do it to ourselves?" Meaning, don't eat a high-carb diet and you won't get it.

Reason I ask is, first, I have not studied diabetes. Second, I was reading that some guru in Texas, like some dude with their board of health or something... he said something like "For children in Texas born after the year 2000, 1 out of 2 will get diabetes." Might have been 1 out of 3 but whatever, it's shockingly high.

And I just wonder if it really is quite simple -- stop eating the SAD.

Well, I feel you'll get several responses. I believe diabetes is preventable. Our diet and an inactive lifestyle makes us predisposed to getting diabetes, but when one becomes diabetic, it is the final result of something malfunctioning in our body. I don't give references, but many others could possibly give you many good references to websites that will provide greater insight.

Diabetes should be taken seriously and it is preventable and if you have it, it can be controlled. But, preventing it is the best way to go. I don't think I'd wish this on anyone.

Type II is adult on-set, but the on-set comes from many factors. In my case, it is most probable that I became predisposed when I was exposed to the chemical Agent Orange back in the 1960s'. It does not run in my family. However, if I'd not gained so much weight and had such an inactive lifestyle, I may not have become diabetic.

Then there are people who maintain an appearance of great health, then they get it for different reasons...

It runs in my family. I do believe I dodged it by turning to low carb.

Some studies suggest decreased rates of sudden infant death syndrome in the first year of life and reduction in incidence of insulin-dependent (type 1) and non–insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus, lymphoma, leukemia, and Hodgkin disease, overweight and obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and asthma in older children and adults who were breastfed, compared with individuals who were not breastfed. Additional research in this area is warranted.

From policy statement on breastfeeding, American Academy of Pediatrics.

Gerstein HC. Cow's milk exposure and type 1 diabetes mellitus. A critical overview of the clinical literature. Diabetes Care. 1994;17 :13 –19

Kostraba JN, Cruickshanks KJ, Lawler-Heavner J, et al. Early exposure to cow's milk and solid foods in infancy, genetic predisposition, and the risk of IDDM. Diabetes. 1993;42 :288 –295

Pettit DJ, Forman MR, Hanson RL, Knowler WC, Bennett PH. Breastfeeding and the incidence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in Pima Indians. Lancet. 1997;350 :166 –168

Perez-Bravo E, Carrasco E, Guitierrez-Lopez MD, Martinez MT, Lopez G, de los Rios MG. Genetic predisposition and environmental factors leading to the development of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in Chilean children. J Mol Med. 1996;74 :105 –109

I think that I confirm that there is not always a correlation as I have been eating lowcarb 100% for almost two years and my blood sugars were fine until last month when I was diagnosed with IR. I have a number of medical problems and have had my blood tested every few months for years ... The only way I caused it is if it went dormant for a few years ....

What is that?

IR is insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.

Songwriter, some believe that type 1 (juvenile) diabetes is an autoimmune or viral problem and it's possible that it may have a genetic component to it as well. While type 1 generally strikes children, it less commonly also occurs in adults.
There has also been some recent evidence that type 2 may be partly genetic; at least as far as susceptibility goes.
I personally don't believe that diabetes is 100% preventable (maybe 95%), especially if there is a genetic component to it, but that doesn't mean we can't do our best to avoid factors that are known to contribute such as avoiding high GI foods, transfats and high fructose corn syrup.

I have read that there was a study of Hepatitus C patients and the incidence of diabetes was pretty high among them. I was infected with Hep C in high school and I developed Type 2 diabetes when I was 34. I did have high carb eating habits most of my life so it's difficult for me to really establish a connection. I do suspect the Hep C played a role in my development of diabetes. Anyway, I think there are probably a number of causes for diabetes.

Hmmmm...I have Hep C as well, but had no diabetes until after my transplant. Until then, ny BG was nomal. It was the prednisone that sent me over the edge into diabetes - it's called 'steroid induced diabetes'.

However, that said, I was a vegetarian for over 15 years, ate tons of fruit daily - used to get a huge box delivered every week. I ate 8 oranges in a day and as many grapefruit. I think my body knew I was ill (I didn't) and tried to get vitamins into me. I always ate a very healthy diet except for ice cream. I ate a lot of pasta, wholegrains and fruits, but few vegetables., with the exception of tomatoes and mediteranean vegetables from the belladonna family, whoch I am probably adicted to as well. When I got sick, I thought I was dying and supposed I may as well eat ice cream every night. It was the only thing I felt like eating.

Then after the transplant, the prednisone gave me a voracious appetite and I began craving meat and cheese. I put over 50 pounds on in two years.

So, it was partly the drugs, partly too many carbs over too many years, and a family history of belly fat (but not diabetes).

The thing was, I LOVED carbs. It was like taking a drug. They calmed me. I was addicted BIG time, and I knew I was not doing the right thing by my body - but felt driven to eat them.

That's my experience.

However, maybe there is more to it. Maybe diseased livers cannot metabolize glucose well. I knew I felt replused by protein and it's happening again as my liver enzymes are rising.

Type 1 is an autoimmune disease. Antibodies targeting the beta cells are present in Type 1s.

V.

Actually, Type 2 diabetes is MORE likely to be genetic than Type 1. Type 1 people may have a gene that leads to autoimmune disease, but many people get it in families with no previous history.

The huge increase in diabetes is probably due to environmental pollutants, not greed and sloth. There is accumulating evidence that people's genes are being damaged by pesticides, plastics and PCBs in our environment. That kind of genetic damage causes obesity and diabetes in animals.

I have written up a summary of the evidence pointing to genetic causes for Type 2 on this page:

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046739.php

Research studies linking Type 2 diabetes to pesticide residue and plastic are found on my blog: http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/...tream-pcbs.html

I think I overstated myself by saying diabetes is preventable. I should have said most often it is preventable. Also, 95% or so of diabetics are type 2, so being type 2 is my affliction, I often forget about type 1 and in my earlier post gave no consideration to that...

But, to further clarify answers for Songwriter.... I believe if the whole of the U.S. population would eat a low carb diet, type 2 diabetes would go from an affliction rate of 20% down to about 2%... not sure if my numbers are accurate, but it makes my point that what we eat as a nation definitely contributes to the high rate of type 2 diabetes...

You really hit the nail on head and I mean you've stated more than a mouth full....Carbohydrates/sugars are addictive just like drugs, I'm not saying it based on scientific evidence, but rather noticing people's eating habits and remembering my own.

Also from some things I've read which are scientifically proven, it takes a lot longer for our brain to register that we're full when we are eating carbs, then when we're eating fat....

Not easy to get off of carbs, but breaking the carb habit is probably key to any weight/health control in our lives...