Since we're trying to be as precise as possible, "linked to" doesn't mean "caused by". What those studies show is that the two frequently coexist. They do not prove causality. Assuming that one thing causes another because the two occur together is just about the oldest and most pernicious logical fallacy there is.
There is mounting suspicion about whether obesity causes insulin resistance, or the other way round. Or, that they both stem from some third underlying cause. Maybe obesity causes diabetes. Maybe not. The reality is that we don't know (yet). That being so, it is irresponsible to issue flat, unqualified, categorical statements either way.
We’re playing word games here now. A vastly higher percentage of overweight people are diagnosed with t2 diabetes than are healthy weight people. That is a fact, we all know it is so I’m not going to bother trying to prove it. Therefore those two conditions are in fact linked to each other (of course not in all cases). And no of course that doesn’t mean that thin people can’t get it. Word games get us nowhere. Allow me to draw a direct analogy;
Drunk drivers are statistically more likely to wreck their car than sober drivers. Therefore it is fair and accurate to say that being drunk causes drivers to wreck even though sober drivers also wreck cars and not every time a drunk driver wrecks is due to his drunkenness.
Seems every time I make an analogy nobody understands it maybe this one will make sense
Yes, more people with type 2 are overweight, but which came first being overweight or type 2. Current science is that type 2 is the reason behind the overweight issues. It's a chicken - egg situation. And to state - especially an MD that being overweight causes type 2 can lend a feeling of unwarranted protection against being diagnosed with type 2. And gestational diabetes is often tied to the weight of the pregnant woman - not just the pregnancy. Again, my point in addressing this stuff is my hope that it will lead to more people getting timely and correct diagnoses. And...not every overweight person gets type 2. And I admit there are overweight people with type 1. We just can't simplify it down to being overweight causes type 2. If a person ha the genetic propensity for type 2, becomes overweight will most likely lead to its onset.
Sorry but these are not word games. We are talking about major life decisions being made on a basis of belief, not demonstrated cause and effect.
And that analogy doesn't work. We can prove that being drunk makes you a dangerous driver. It impairs physical reflexes and mental judgment, something proven time and again, both of which are critical to operating machinery safely. The cause and effect mechanism connecting obesity and diabetes is NOT unequivocally established. That particular bit of traditional wisdom is coming under increasing suspicion, as noted above.
At the end of the day it may well turn out that the cause-and-effect is there and can be scientifically proven. But until that happens, it is irresponsible to treat it as proven fact, most particularly when addressing a mass lay audience.
Add to the predicament that those watching PBS are generally considered to be those seeking a little more information than is on the broadcast news.
I've known "older" people open and able to grasp new ideas, and I've seen "older" people whose thinking is stuck in old ideas. He sounds like he may be in thee latter group.
Sad that a director of a diabetes center seems stuck in the old ways, old thoughts.
I have been Type 1 for 33 years and I am never surprised to hear yet another individual in The Diabetic care field spout out ignorance. David Nathan once said that Type 2 could turn to Type 1... I think he got his Degree at an online College, I guess it was either the choice of Medicine or Refrigerator repair !
I used the Chicken-egg analogy because it is being investigated that having the risk or propensity for type 2 (aka the DNA) can be the cause of the weight issues - which in turn leads to the insulin resistance that leads to the Dx.
