Here's as article about a study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics. The article notes that the study says "A total of nearly 40 gene variants have now been found to raise or lower the risk of T2D." and that "The majority of the gene variants remain undiscovered." Another conclusion is that the genetics of T2 varies across different ethnic groups although there is considerable overlap.
The article also notes that "Multiple genes and environmental factors interact with T2D". Whats the Paula Deen connection? Although diet may have played a role, to say Paula caused her T2 is not supported by science. With such a multitude of genetic and environmental factors involved and the considerable genetic variation present in T2, the only thing we can say at this point is that we don't know why one person gets T2 and another doesn't. No wonder T2 is such a complicated disease.
Unfortunately I have not found a way to read the actual study without paying a hefty fee so the article will have to do.
I agree. I'd still be more of a fan to see a celeb w/ diabetes be more open about strategies,etc.? I am a big Jay Cutler fan (ok, I live in Chicago too...) because of him explaining his strategy in more detail than we usually hear. Not a huge amount but enough to make me think "that's cool that he explained 120-180 during games". Sure it wasn't a hugely detailed explanation but I haven't seen that sort of thing from too many people in that sort of position.
It seems the more T2 is studied the more we learn of the genetic factor involved. It's nice to know that T2 is caused by more that life style. It sort of helps to relieve the guilt trip that is placed upon all people with T2.
With that said lets not forget how much life style does affect us. Poor diet and exercise habits stymies our efforts to control our disease and it speeds the progression of it. At least it did for me. I know this is not true for all but it is true for many.
It's good to know that the blame it all on the T2 mentality is not correct. It's also good to know that I can help myself by implementing a life style change to include a better diet and exercise.
I'm not happy with the fact that I have T2 but I not ashamed of it either.
The thing is, BadMoonT2, it's just so darn fun for folks to trash obese and overweight T2's. We make such easy targets:
1) We're fat in a fat-hating culture; 2) We're lazy in an athlete-worshiping culture;
3) We don't "deserve" empathy or compassion (see 1 and 2, above); and
4) We make the other diabetics suffer guilt by association, just by existing!
What's not to hate?!?
The fact that diabetes is a complex, multifaceted, gene-based disease notwithstanding, people want/need someone to rag on and who better to rag on than those "fat, lazy, did-it-to-themselves T2's"?
I mean, it's not like we're actually human beings, eh?
T2 is a complex metabolic disease. To toss it off as a "lifestyle condition" is unconscionable, along with ignorant & insensitive.
Unfortunately, a long Puritan tradition exists of blaming people for whatever befalls them. Poor--your fault for not working harder. Sick--punishment for something you did or didn't do. Convenient to blame the victim since that removes the necessity of a social contract of understanding & assistance. Also diverts attention away from inequity. Not society's responsibility if the problem is the result of the individual's actions & is therefore up to the individual to deal with & resolve. An easy out to explain away complicated topics that make people uncomfortable & affords them the false assurance that if they behave they can avert tragedy. I believe this view is so deeply enculturated that it's hard to break through with logic.
You are so right Gerri it is easy to blame the victim. At least studies like this tell me that I'm not to blame. As far as everyone is concerned I'm past the point of caring what they believe.
After I was in remission from lymphoma, nearly 20 years ago now, I decided on a healthy diet and exercise lifestyle to avoid cancer returning and to avoid diabetes. I followed all instructions, cut down fat to nearly zero, no sugar, grain bread, lots of veggies, and I suppose about three years ago I started to get fat for no reason that I could see, I was, after all eating a low GI diet, so why should I get fat and what was that stupid dr. talking about saying I was nearly diabetic. To my horror and dismay 2 years ago I was dx as T2 - and don't you know T2 and lymphoma, especially the sort I had, is linked! I don't like fast food, can't eat fatty food, as I see it following the diet you are supposed to follow to avoid diabetes doesn't work.
Being past caring is a healthy attitude. Good for you, Gary! Have to say I become ballistic hearing the blame everywhere. If only he/she didn't eat that, exercised, etc. makes me scream. Not any more to blame for diabetes than anyone is for their eye color.
The biomedical research facility in our area does alot of research on Type 2. This week the paper ran an article about a study done here locally.
The one quote from that article by the Director of the research facility that really resonated with me: "Just because someone is thin does not mean they are healthy."
Gary, someone once told me this very useful quote: "What you think of me is none of my business."
How can we blame ourselves when the research is just now (in the past few years at the most) figuring out what's wrong with us (i.e. all the different gene combinations) and how to moderate our metabolic issues with specific changes that work great for some, but not for others? When I was being told by every dietician, doctor and health guru to eat six to nine servings of grains a day -- throwing gas on my disordered metabolic fire -- was that my fault? If someone thinks so, I don't want to hear about it. They can just keep it to themselves and I'll carry on doing the best I can.
I don't blame Paula Deen for her Diabetes or any diabetic. But once you are dx'd with diabetes you need to figure out how to eat to get near normal bgs. For me that meant giving up my favorite carbs like bread, pasta and rice. I never ate sugar before so that was never an issue. But I did have to give up a lot of my favorite fruits. I think most Diabetics are given terrible advice from their doctors and dieticians. I'm sure she got the same advice. For some reason they think we should all be able to continue to overconsume carbs in the Standard American Diet without high bgs. Most doctors will just keep increasing meds to deal with the increased carb loads. What they need to realise is that this is the strategy that causes so many of the terrible complications in Diabetics.
When dealing with whatever flavor of diabetes, or any of life's other issues, everyone does their best. Their best may not be up to our personal standards, but it's still the best they can do at the time. No blame, no fault.
Maybe contributory negligence? If you are speeding and someone turns left in front of, the speeder can be partially at fault for it.
If you have a genetic disorder *and* punish your body by choosing to be a lifestyle advocate for big, carby food AND eat it yourself, perhaps you're some percentage at fault? W/T2, I think that you could "3rd party" the doctor in had the doc told you you're doing fine.
"percentage at fault?" what do you work for an insurance company or something?
The truth is at this point we don't know. With so much genetic variability what might work for some (say early diet intervention) may not work for others. For many a nasty feedback loop starts early on involving insulin resistance --> high sugars --> high insulin production --> weight gain --> more insulin resistance etc. Plus we are surrounded by these fast acting carbs which taste good, but are highly addictive.
I agree with Jeannie while it's problematic at best to blame someone for their diabetes they do need to take responsibility for fixing the problem. Now if they were just given advice that works, instead of advice that makes things worse......
My HMO doctor would walk in and chirp to me how "great" I was doing with my diabetes when I had an average glucose of 250 and an HbA1C in the double digits!!!
It took me over a thousand hours of effort over an eighteen-month period to learn how to manage my diabetes without going hypo. No one except other diabetics actually helped me. Every medical "professional" I met gave me vastly inaccurate and completely unhelpful advice: "eat more whole grain!", "if exercise is making you go hypo, don't walk so much", "here's your sliding scale -- yes, it only goes up to 250-mg/dl -- no you don't want to inject more insulin if you're very high".
Blather-blather-blather it was the freaking Tower of Babel around here until I became a strong advocate for myself and just gave up completely on getting accurate information from 90% of the medical community.
How many others are still eating their mountain of starchy carbs morning, noon and night because their dietician implies that they'll die without them? How many are crashing and burning in the night because their doctors have no idea of how to set up a basal/bolus/correction tailored to their body and their lifestyle?
Paula Deen's dietician has probably been telling how great she is doing, and asking her for her recipes, because, ya know: "there are no bad foods" per the ADtA. Sigh.
why yes, as a matter of fact. ;-) I wouldn't say it's her fault and I wouldn't say it's not her fault until we've investigated everything but, based on what we know:
1) she announced T2 2) she announced Victoza
3) she spent years doin' home cookin' or whatever the official title of her schtick is.
That's not exactly enough to say for sure what the deal was. I suspect that the doctor could be apportioned some blame. Maybe not as much as Michael Jackson's doctor. We'd really have to review the medical records, labs, etc. to be able to evaluate a case like this? Perhaps we can get a MAWA?
Maybe it would be more fun to do an over/ under on "will Guy Fieri end up w/ T2 too?"? I'll bet $300 Tu-bucks that he will.
I agree, that's why I'd want to review the medical records to see what was told by to whom by whom and so forth? Otherwise, it leaves the door open for "civilians" (people without diabetes...) to make assumptions that may contribute to the overall cloud of misinformation about T2 specifically and diabetes more generally. Not to mention whateverthehell the donut burgers did to her lipid profile?
Yeah, you'd think the donut burgers would have hoist a red flag?!?
But maybe in Paula Deen's milieu, a donut burger is just a yellow flag?
Hard to believe, but having grown up in the South where people bring you cloyingly sweet tea without even asking if you want sugar, it wouldn't surprise me if donut burgers are a green flag with yellow bric-a-brac edging.
I'm of the opinion, without any sort of "evidence" other than my own wierd experiences, that a donut burger here and there can be covered with insulin ok for me. I dunno about T2, doctors don't study interesting things like donut burgers, just people doing 45-60/ 15-30 carb diets rx'ed by dietitians. The only way to know for sure what sort of flag it may have been should be the records. I'd lay them out there if I were her. Shoot, if she plays her cards right, she could lobby for some sort of workman's comp claim from injuring her pancreas on the job?
LOL - then I get to file a claim, too! I was diagnosed while working LONG hours of overtime at a software company in Santa Barbara. Basically, what programmers do is sit on their butts all day staring at a box. That couldn't have been good for my metabolism. Perhaps we should get combat pay in the form of life-time Cadillac health insurance if we're diagnosed with T2 after working X hours of overtime? It might force employers to re-think their staffing decisions, promises to clients and heinous deadlines?
