Is Obesity really the cause of diabetes?

[LoriBee62]

I had asked my doctor about this, who I trust far more than an anonymous poster on an anonymous web forum. She said obesity does not "cause" diabetes any more than old age "causes" Alzheimer's. But just as the incidence of Alzheimer's has risen as people live longer, diabetes has risen as the frequency of obesity rises.

First, you must be pre-disposed to get the diseases. If you are not, then you are unlikely to get it no matter what. If you ARE, you may never see signs of it if you, A) don't live long enough to develop Alzheimer's, or B) maintain a healthy lifestyle that staves off the onset of diabetes.

They contribute. They do not cause.

Thus, the statement, "I refuse to get diabetes" only makes sense if you were someone pre-disposed to the disease.

[tickyul]

Excess fat causes an increase in resistance to the effects of insulin..........this problem can be a BIG part of why your blood-sugar goes too high and/or is unstable.

[cushla]

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 10 years ago, always been a skinny, little extra weight now i am older but still weigh 65 kilos. If you eat less carbs like Potatoes, Pasta, Rice and Bread,biscuits, cakes, fat. Also get plenty of excercise, you may be able to control it but it is a progressive disease, i held it at bay by diet for 6 years now i have to have medication twice a day to keep it stable. Really it is up to you to do your homework and find out what you can eat or not eat.

[nicet4]

I have Type 2 and I am told it was most likely caused by exposure to agent orange during my service in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. I tend to believe this because nobody in my family ever suffered from diabetes with most living to their 80's and 90's.

I am not obese and stayed below 180 lbs (5'-10 1/2") until I hit my mid 50's and.. well... I could stand to lose 30 lbs but I wouldn't classify myself as obese. Just fat.

I was in Vietnam for a year serving on the ground as a combat medic with the First Infantry Division (1/18th) having spent most of my time in Dong Nai and Binh Duong provinces which you can see here are rated the #1 and #2 "Most heavily sprayed provinces in Vietnam" where together these two small provinces received 65% of all the agent orange sprayed during the war.

[SIZE=2]Diabetic veterans to get cash[/SIZE]

[The VA estimates that 2.3 million of the 2.6 million Americans who served in Vietnam or offshore are alive, and about 9 percent of them are diabetic. Six percent of Americans have diabetes.

I think that 9% is misleading a bit because because most who did serve did not serve in areas that were heavily sprayed or sprayed at all.



See the upper box just below Ma Da in III Corp? It's the lower part of inside that box is exactly where I spent my year.

I've written about it before but we were in a tropical area and everything was dead. Being 19 and 20 years old I never put 2 and 2 together.

From the friends I served with that I've been able to stay in contact with the incidence of Type 2 diabetes is a whole lot more than 9%. I'd put it closer to 50%. I would love to find out the incidence of Type 2 diabetes based on units served.

I would like confirmation the highest Type 2 rates are related to the map.

Does anyone know any Type 2 sufferers that served in Vietnam that are not getting compensation? They should apply; it's fast, automatic and doesn't have all the VA BS you hear about other claims.

[gguerra]

In a word, NO. Agent orange did not cause your diabetes. A genetic pre-disposition and a bad diet is more than likely the cause. And yes it may be true that your direct ancestors may not have had the disease, but what about their ancestors? You have to look further back and at uncles, aunts etc. If you need stats, the actual number of diabetics is currently 9.3% (according to the CDC) which is most likely low due to a lot of people not getting diagnosed. So the quote from the VA sounds like BS to me...

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