[MelodyL]

Hi all.

I have a friend who will turn 60 soon. She's morbidly obese and has not seen a doctor in over 30 years. She's scared to death. Well, for whatever reason, she let me take her blood sugar tonight. I could not believe it. I really thought it would be high because her mom and dad (both deceased) had diabetes (Type 2) and her 55 year old sister has diabetes. She's on Metformin. The parents got it when they were in their 50's. The sister, (well I don't know when she found out).

My friend cooks and eats carbs all day. But she's never thirsty and the other day we were talking and she mentioned that she never gets up to pee during the night. I said to myself "I would love to test her, just to see what it would be".

Well, we were all sitting at Dunkin tonight. Alan went to sleep so I went out and down to the corner to meet up with my friends. I took their blood sugar.

My friend initially would not let me. I told her 'I promise to keep my face straight and not give anything away but I just want to know". I could not believe she said yes.

Well it was 127. After eating Pasta and carbs all day long. I got so excited I showed her and she was amazed. She had been afraid to find out.

Not let me ask you a question. Does this mean that she has no predisposition to be a diabetic? I mean, after all these carbs, and she's obese, she's not a diabetic?? That's amazing.

Thanks to anyone who can explain the genetics of diabetes to me. I mean I can go on the internet and read but there's all that different information and I just want to understand.

I told her 'Just because you found this out, doesn't mean you go and eat Sundaes and pizza all the time". She laughed and said "Oh I know"

Thanks to anyone who can explain this to me. I mean, both parents and her sister (who is not obese) can have diabetes and it skips her??

Melody

[kiwi33]

Given the family history of your friend and the fact that she is morbidly obese, she is probably at high risk of Type 2 diabetes. Eating lots of high GI carbohydrates will not help. High GI carbohydrates are rapidly converted to glucose. This resulting glucose spike leads to a corresponding spike of insulin - this can lead to what is called insulin resistance which can progress to Type 2 diabetes.

Mutations in many genes are risk factors for Type 2 diabetes. The effect of a mutation in just one of them is usually small but this is cumulative - the more relevant genes are mutated the bigger the risk. This is because the more different abnormal proteins (coded for by the different mutant genes) somebody makes the more likely it is somebody will develop Type 2 diabetes.

You and your friend might find this helpful Genetics of Type 2 Diabetes.

[MelodyL]

Originally Posted by kiwi33

Given the family history of your friend and the fact that she is morbidly obese, she is probably at high risk of Type 2 diabetes. Eating lots of high GI carbohydrates will not help. High GI carbohydrates are rapidly converted to glucose. This resulting glucose spike leads to a corresponding spike of insulin - this can lead to what is called insulin resistance which can progress to Type 2 diabetes.

Mutations in many genes are risk factors for Type 2 diabetes. The effect of a mutation in just one of them is usually small but this is cumulative - the more relevant genes are mutated the bigger the risk. This is because the more different abnormal proteins (coded for by the different mutant genes) somebody makes the more likely it is somebody will develop Type 2 diabetes.

You and your friend might find this helpful Genetics of Type 2 Diabetes.

I'm telling you, I know my friend. She eats all day. All carbs. All night too. She's either the luckiest person on earth or it will hit her one day. She can barely walk, because of her knees and her feet. Won't see a doctor. Not at all. I was lucky to be able to check her sugar.

Oh well. I was like that 30 years ago. Took me YEARS to change.

Thanks much

Melody

[caroline2]

It's amazing she's still living. I was in hospital/rehabs recently for knee issue and a young 33 yr old came into the room as a room mate, she had been in a terrible accident and had her one leg amputed at the knee...while they were attending her they found out how diabetic she was. She was on daily insulin and told me before accident she was 50 lbs heavier. Poor young girl, mother of 3 and in that bad of shape. She was quite thin at this point but so young and with these disabilities.

While nurse came in to do her blood tests daily, I asked nurse to test mine and I was always 90-100. Her readings were always like 200-300 on the meds and insulin.

She was of mexican heritage and I had heard many mexicans are diabetic, as a matter of fact Mexico has come in first over the U.S. with most obese.

A friend here who has a friend down in Palm Springs says her friend was tested at a point and BS was about 600. She is not in good health at all.

I eat very low carb diet, splurge sometimes with some pizza, but no breads etc and haven't had pasta in years.

[MelodyL]

Originally Posted by caroline2

It's amazing she's still living. I was in hospital/rehabs recently for knee issue and a young 33 yr old came into the room as a room mate, she had been in a terrible accident and had her one leg amputed at the knee...while they were attending her they found out how diabetic she was. She was on daily insulin and told me before accident she was 50 lbs heavier. Poor young girl, mother of 3 and in that bad of shape. She was quite thin at this point but so young and with these disabilities.

While nurse came in to do her blood tests daily, I asked nurse to test mine and I was always 90-100. Her readings were always like 200-300 on the meds and insulin.

She was of mexican heritage and I had heard many mexicans are diabetic, as a matter of fact Mexico has come in first over the U.S. with most obese.

A friend here who has a friend down in Palm Springs says her friend was tested at a point and BS was about 600. She is not in good health at all.

I eat very low carb diet, splurge sometimes with some pizza, but no breads etc and haven't had pasta in years.

I hear you. What has always fascinated me was the people in Samoa. They are a big people. What is the rate of diabetes among that group?

Last night we were all in our Dunkin hangout and naturally all the donuts are on the table. Donuts don't do anything for me. Never did. If I were going to cheat, I'd love a hot fudge sundae (on my birthday, I either have a Calzone or a sundae), but that's once a year.

My poor friend. Last night as she was struggling to get up off the chair, she could not walk. Her knees are SO bad. She's in such pain. She eats from stress. She's worried about her offspring not coming home and staying with the boyfriend so she's up all night till 4 a.m. and she eats.j

Not a good thing. But stress does that to a person. She once said 'If my daughter moves out I will go out of my mind".

I believe her.

Melody

[kiwi33]

Melody, the incidence of Type 2 diabetes and obesity in Samoa is the highest in the world - the former incidence is more than 30%. Genetic risk factors do not seem to be important. The main risk is ready availability of cheap poor quality imported foods.

I understand your worry about your friend. Maybe you could encourage her to walk a bit more, even if it is only a bit to start with. That will help her to lose weight in a controlled way and could also could help her to deal with her stress. I am not over-weight but walk whenever I am feeling stressed - it works for me.