There are a lot of people who are shocked when they are diagnosed with diabetes and don't really understand the whole reason why. Most people think that as long as you’re not sick or afflicted with any major diseases, you’ll be fine. You can eat the food you want, skip exercise, sleep in, and basically make a slob of yourself, right? Wrong. There are certain habits that make you more prone to contracting diabetes (diabetes milletus).
You can read about them here http://tgp.com.ph/blog/10-familiar-habits-prone-diabetes/
I agree with Sally. I was 10, and had none of those "habits, except eating white bread. Wheat bread was not a staple in stores--Wonder bread was.
Saturated fat causing insulin resistance is a new one for me, but apparently this is a common claim. Here is an article that looks at the evidence for this claim and finds it lacking. Of course none of this is a cause for T1 but as usual the distinction between the types is not noted.
I like how the title says "11 Familiar Habits ...", while the web address and the actual article only have 10.
I don't like how the article assumes "facts not in evidence". If you do X, then Y WILL happen, period, end of story. This just doesn't agree with the headline.
Thank heaven for this forum, where we can all enjoy the benefits of scholarly and reasoned articles like this one. With all due respect, however, I feel impelled to point out that the writer overlooked some of the other ways you can contract diabetes. So, in the interest of thoroughness, let me point them out:
(1) Breathing the same air as a diabetic dramatically increases your chances of becoming diabetic.
(2) Using the same toilet seat that a diabetic has used is a strong risk factor. And it doesn't help to use a paper liner; diabetes is so powerful that it can penetrate those without effort.
(3) Eating off plates used by a diabetic can expose you too. If you live in the same household as a diabetic, it's wise to sterilize dishes between uses.
(4) One major risk factor that is largely ignored occurs when dining in restaurants. If the server or chef who handles your food is diabetic, there is a high probability that you will be exposed.
(5) Possibly the worst of all: shaking hands with a diabetic practically guarantees that you will become one too.
The utter nonsense propagated by articles like this one is beyond absurd, it's actively harmful. This is 1950's advice and it was wrong then. But people read this stuff and believe it -- it's in print so it HAS to be true. Those who write these things ought to be taken out and put in the public stocks so people can throw rotten eggs and vegetables at them.
This isn't science, it's politics. Pure and simple.
O...M....G!!!!
So then, on the converse...it stands to reason that if I breath the same air as, or actually TOUCH a non diabetic I will be "cure"!! WOW....what an epiphany!!
What ABSOLUTE "stuff-you-find-at-the-bottom-of-the-bird-cage"!
This is like: Oxygen is deadly. 100% of people who die have breathed Oxygen in their lives.
rLightning, since you're in the Philippines, do you know of other, more scientifically-founded messages about diabetes readily available there? As others have pointed out in this thread, the habits listed in this article are not associated with developing diabetes in any scientific sense.
Well, while I agree that the article is naive, before we jump down this guy's throat too enthusiastically let's give some credit where due. Of the ten things listed, these are not wacko crazy things but sound advice for everyone to avoid:
1. Eating [too much -dave] high glycemic index (G.I.) foodsAvoiding routine habits like those above is good advice. All those behaviors stress one's body, and in particular the endocrine system.
2. Erratic eating
3. Missing breakfast
4. Irregular sleeping patterns
6. Lack of physical activity
7. Being stressed
8. Lack of fruits and vegetables in your diet
9. Enjoying a midnight snack
Also, there is plenty of solid, peer-reviewed data that strongly points to these sorts of stresses being a contributing factor to developing diabetes for those that are genetically pre-disposed, particularly T2.
Just as factors such as stress, lack of physical fitness and activity, constantly irregular eating patterns, etc. make it much harder to control BG (as we here all know), it challenges the BG metabolism of a non-diabetic too. When one already is running on a defective system to begin with, straining to function normally, added stresses can push it over the top.
Yes indeed....advice to be cautious, to eat sensibly...to remain physically active and to avoid stress if possible are all good, however none of these are habits prone to diabetes of their own right. One has to be genetically predisposed, or has the "markings" for diabetes. Nevertheless, some mentioned are off the wall....a midnight snack (snack being the key word...not a meal) is suggested in many medical circles as a means of balancing your bg till morning. Going too long without food is likely more injurious than not.
Yes -- I certainly was not implying that any of these bad habits alone or in combination are a cause of diabetes. Like I said, most people can live their entire life being "bad" on all these counts -- in some cases very bad -- and live without serious malady until they die at 95 weighing 350.
Yet, if you are cursed with the genetic faults, these other factors then do become important in whether or not diabetes presents.
It is because of this that the uninformed public then blames the diabetic for her behavior, even though it really isn't their fault (again, it's the fault of their bad genes).
In the end, we, PWD, are constantly subjected to sanctimonious judgment, phony prescriptions to "cure" or "reverse" diabetes, and on and on -- all garbage.
I'll try looking in to that :) thanks for the suggestion :D
Mike---My husband is a retired emergency manager who taught Incident Command all over the state. He always taught folks to be careful with acronyms because volunteer help wouldn't know them. That may seem a non-sequiter, but your comment reminded me of his favorite acronym: COIK: Clear Only If Known. Especially apt for locals who had to deal with homeland security!.....Couldn't resist the aside.
Love it, Dave. Don't forget--Gasp--Kissing!
Good suggestion, Emily. Can we help rLightning find some better sources?
Dave---I agree wholeheartedly with your 1, 6, and 8. On the others, I think the variables are too great, individual to individual.
As a T2 whose father and grandfather had diabetes, I always am disappointed when these lists ignore genetic markers. Plus I have another marker that is seldom mentioned and has pre-disposed me to a Diabetes-related Trifecta: hypertension, liver disease and hypothyroidism: My son was stillborn at 8 months due to eclampsia. And on the other side of the family tree, my mom died of kidney failure, though never diabetic. I've escaped that so far, but one does get fatalistic at times!
Blessings on us all. I love our approach to dealing with these lists full of misinformation. We gotta laugh or we'd cry. But Emily brought me up short. The Philippines need help and maybe we can offer some.....Be well!
That would be very much appreciated ^_^
This is me sticking my tongue out