Joe, those are risk factors that can’t always be so easily avoided. Whatever anyone’s story is, the emphasis should probably not be in “you could avoid this,” or this could be avoided. Sooner or later, those who have the genetic predispositions for this disease will eventually get it… and we can’t avoid what life will throw at us. We may develop disabilities, and other diseases that may lead to Type 2 Diabetes… as well as take medications that are seemingly unrelated, like medications for Asthma, or for Bipolar Disorder. The reasons why the rising number of Type 2 Diabetics is rising is a very, very mixed bag, and it is not something that is going to be healed by telling people to simply diet and exercise. I think it hurts more than helps to tell someone “you could avoid something,” if they end up getting it anyway, with time, and age. Delaying something, sure… I am all for delaying, and helping others understand delaying. I’ll give anyone that. Avoiding, not so much.
I said these risk factors can be avoided ;not that avoiding these risk factors will make sure you won’ t became a diabetic.My best friend got diabetes from Agent Orange in Viet Nam. But even if one does develope T2 diabetes you would still be better off with out those two risk factors . Even with LADA I still avoid those risk factors . It better odds in your favor!
I don’t think this applies just to diabetics. For example some might think - someone battling depression just need to get their act together and be happy, and someone who has asthma was probably around second hand smoke as a child, and someone who has cancer probably ate too many chemicals, or someone who is bald probably worked in a coal mine, or someone who has an autistic child got it from vaccinations. I think in a way some of those things MIGHT be the contributing factor, but not always! Non smokers can get lung cancer and non drinkers can have liver problems. Remember when aids was called “gay cancer” and there were a bunch of people who got it through blood transfusion or hetero relationships.
People aren’t going to learn about diabetes until a loved one or themselves are diagnosed with it!!!
Right now on CNN they are talking about a “nation of diabetics” and they are talking about what to eat. check it out!
Joe,
I have been thin all my life never overweight. I ate healthy (I am a veg), was active and I still got Type 2 diabetes at 40 years of age - as did all the rest of the people in my family who have Type 2 diabetes - they got it around age 40 and they are not all overweight. Some of them are but some are of normal weight for their height. But I am only one who has been thin her entire life.
Please don’t tell me that you still believe that one can avoid diabetes by staying thin and exercising because it sure didn’t work for me! Thinking like that will NOT get us anywhere. You will become part of the problem and not the solution if you spread misinformation like that.
Whoa wait LET"S NOT start fighting over Type 1 & Type 2 again! We’re here to help each other understand. KimKat your info is totally right and maybe Joe has learned something from you. Look at it like that.
Hi Doris,
I think it is totally ridiculous to fight over the types too. We are all diabetic. So long as we get our treatment plans right what do types matter! 
But it DOES bug me when people say that diabetes can be prevented by exercising and not being overweight. What the fun! That bugs me. What happened to me than? Right? Maybe one might be able to “put it off” from developing earlier in life but if you got the bad genes - you got the bad genes. And nothing can stop them when they decide to wig out on you. Even a doctor friend of mine told me so.
I hate those generalized answers of how to “prevent” this - it is not an open and shut case disease here. Our modern world has so many risk factors and complications that could contribute to the cause here, in anyone, that lots of things are game in this complex disease.
I have often felt I would be a good research subject!! I am a living proof to fat does not cause Type 2 diabetes. I hope he learned something too Doris.
I really hate this increase in people diagnosed but with more people impacted then maybe organizations will do more to fund research to find cures. I sometimes think that enough is not being done and not until someone related to the people who control the researchy dollars is impacted then they step in. So this rate may make the money people fund more research and make companies to think twice about making workers work insane amout of hours which lead people to live unhealthy lifestyles. Like in work, problems are not solved until they get out of hand and have more people impacted.
I totally agree with you. Now when I first joined up here 3 years ago I thought too that Type 2 could be controlled by exercise and diet. Now I KNOW better!
Yes bad genes are bad genes no matter how you slice it. I got the genes to be a Type 1. Before my father passed he got the genes to be a Type 2. Not that he followed his diet to close or did anything to help himsel and even ask me one time which was worse Typ1 or Type 2 (to which of course I had NO answer too)
I think it is almost like the media is jumping on the “diabetes is epidemic” bandwagon and patting themselves on the back for what these scare tactics “will” do to reduce obesity in America. To me that comes from a completely infantilizing attitude that people need to be motivated by fear to take care of themselves instead of just doing ad campaigns about the positive benefits of eating healthy and exercise. We are not children!
I’m not even going to comment on the threads of type 1 = innocent, type 2 = guilty implications running through in the hopes they will just go away on their own!
I think it is also important to recognize that to a certain degree “more people diagnosed” is caused by increased awareness, increased testing and the (too slow) changes in the diagnostic criteria.
That’s true too Zoe
I never even knew there was a Type 1 diabetes when I was dxd. In fact, I knew nothing about it really. Just that I had seen news reports that often film the large exteriors of people walking down the street and people shoving hamburgers in their months. Ugh, eh? That alone gives the stereotype.
So, guess I never knew there was any “blame game” going on until I found out about it on here. I just thought being “unhealthy” was the possible 'cause" and that many unhealthy people can be overweight also. So, that was all I knew. I always saw it as a bit sad that people were blaming people for getting sick, no matter what circumstance. Unless you were a heavy smoker or alcoholic or drug abuser and had complications that were pretty obvious from your addictions - well, I don’t think it benefits anyone to play the blame game esp. in a disease that has no reason known cause. One is sick, now focus on what to do it get better or, in our cases, improve the situation. That is what is important.
I have to agree about the media. I think that they are telling folks things that scare the crap out of them just to get us back to eating right. I grew up farming and eating freash produce, the fast food world has taken it’s toll on me. Yep I’m guilty of it won’t deny it. WE ARE ALL DIABETICS AND ALL FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT! Nuff said!
Agreed Kim! (going to call you Kim went to school with a girl named Kim) To tell the truth way back when (the 70’s) I didn’t even know there was a Type 2 our there. I learned about the 1.5’s here. You would think a diabetic that had it as long as I did would know. Well I didn’t.
First of all I said “risk factor” Doyou understand the difference in risk factor and cause.Nor did i say that I believe that is the only thing. So why are we fighting over the need to have a healthy lifestyle. I think most T2’s gain weight from too much insulin not the other way around.It seems more likely that the diabetes is the cause of weight gain ;not that weight gain caused the diabetes.
Doris ,we need not fight but this is the place to discuss different views .
Don’t worry the green house gas effect will kill us all before diabetes does.
All too true. I didn’t want it to start up again. We’ve had MANY arguments here over that. I just didn’t want it to start up again so I jumped in when I saw it might. Given we all have different points of view and that one reason this Forum and site is here. I just wanted to extend the olive branch.
Hi I’m a t2 and I’m 110 pounds! Yeah the sterotypes are awful! Its giving the public the wrong ideas about diabetes. Diabetes again does not discrimate! More education needs to be introduced into the public. Its actually very sad! I understand how that news segment upset you! It upsets me also. Its all ignorance!
I read the same news reports and they made me angry as well. Part of it comes from the same old bogeymen they hauled out on the pageant wagons centuries ago: Gluttony and Sloth. By demonizing the result and blaming the victim, they feel it won’t happen to them. The first year after I was diagnosed with LADA, my mother kept asking “what I did to deserve this.” Other reports blamed the rise on the increase in immigration of populations with greater likelihood of developing diabetes.
Someone replying said we are a silent majority: and that is really where the problem lies. We are invisible and we work hard to stay that way: to appear normal and capable and functioning.
How many test in public? How many take their insulin or pills in secret? How many hide their pump? How many, when confronted by ignorance and misinformation, dare to refute it, whether to our neighbors, to strangers, or, most frightening of all, to our health care team members?
We fight this disease every moment of every day and sometimes it seems too much to take on the world as well.
We wore purple for the gay suicides. October was smothered in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness. We lurk in the shadows and whisper apologetically. We need to step out and reveal exactly what we are.