Type 2 Diabetes reversible?

[tortillasoup]

I would also like to challenge the ha ha fatty attitude toward diabetes. It is one of the most heritable illnesses in existence. Yes it does also depend largely on lifestyle, but that dependence is also strongly heritable. There are people who are not overweight that have what most would call a healthy lifestyle that still develop diabetes.

Just because someone is normal weight, doesn't mean they eat or live a healthy lifestyle. Stress can play a great factor in getting type 2 diabetes and what with my lifestyle and eating habits, would not be surprised if I was pre-diabetic.

 

[88keys]

I'm not sure. The medical literature seems to be contradictory but everybody is different.

I know of two people who 'cured' themselves after losing weight and in both instances they were young (mid 30s) and lost the weight shortly after diagnosis and don't need any pills and are on no restrictions.

One of them gets yearly physicals for his job and so he gets checked for it every year.

Me on the other hand. I've been as heavy as 387lbs and for some reason I've never had any weight related medical issues with the exception of mild joint pain.


Personally, If I were in your shoes; I'd give it a shot to lose weight and reverse the condition. I think it's worth a try and you have nothing to lose and only your health to regain.

But you you intend to lose weight I suggest paying attention to sugar content. It's more important than what most people. Low calorie and low fat is great but you would be surprised at how much sugar they sneak into so many things. I counted calories for many years, but only recently did I start paying attention to sugar content and the sugar content of some food products are insane.

Another thing is try not to become too reliant on artificial sweeteners. This is a mistake that I've made many many times by drinking nothing but diet soda. Your body needs water... period. I drink about a gallon or so per day and I'll admit to having a couple of artificially sweetened drinks (after lunch and dinner), and this is mainly to break the monotony of drinking nothing but water and it gets me through the day.

I've been tweaking my diet here and there and I recently cut out oatmeal packets in favor of old fashioned oatmeal mixed with a little granola and a tbsp of maple syrup, and I cut out 9 grams of sugar per day by doing that.

I also find that generally speaking the less you rely on pre packaged foods the better off you are.

 

[hardhat]

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is not curable. The condition can be characterized as "in remission", but that does not mean you are cured of the disease.

T2DM is diagnosed through abnormal blood glucose tests that are indicative of two processes. First is insulin resistance, which slows the intracellular metabolism of glucose into energy. The body is less capable of using the insulin it produces, so the glucose in the blood builds up (causing hyperosmolarity as well as potential ketoacidosis) and is expelled through urine (the "sweet" diabetic urine). Secondly, the pancreas releases less insulin into the body, again hindering the body's ability to metabolize glucose. Neither of these processes is fully curable, only treatable, and both are considered chronic conditions.

Changing your diet and lifestyle to better support healthy metabolism and consumption of less foods that are broken down into glucose can allow you to function without outside support from insulin or other medications, as long as the disease has not progressed too far. Your body is still capable of some level of insulin absorption, and does still produce a reduced amount of insulin. But if you resume your previous lifestyle the disease will continue to progress. It's also worth mentioning that losing weight greatly improves circulation which aids in glucose metabolism.

 

[88keys]

So in otherwords your pancreas may no longer be able to support a 300lb body consuming lots of sugary food without aid but it is still able to support a 200lb body consuming 2500 calories per day consuming few sugary foods unassisted.


I always wonder how I managed to avoid Diabetes no matter how heavy I got (387lbs at one point) while people my age got it while they weighed 100lbs less.

I recall reading somewhere that alot of medical conditions due to obesity has to do with where your body stores fat. People who store fat in their abdomen are alot more susceptible to diseases and such while people whose body fat spreads evenly are not in as much danger.

Body fat on me spreads out very evenly.

 

[mike8675309]

Type 2 Diabetes can be managed through diet and in some cases reversed. In Type 2 Diabetes the pancreatic beta cells are compromised or damaged they are unable to produce sufficient insulin.
This video describes process that results in Type 2 diabetes
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetes-as-a-disease-of-fat-toxicity/

A number of books have been written by doctors that have had success reversing diabetes through dietary changes. One being Dr. Neal Barnard.
http://pcrm.org/shop/byNealBarnard/dr-barnards-program-for-reversing-diabetes

 

[tortillasoup]

Body fat on me spreads out very evenly.

You probably have low testosterone for what ever reason, possibly nutrition related.

 

[88keys]

My diet is very nutritious, but I don't know about Testosterone.

I don't seem to have any other issues that relate to low testosterone. But FWIW, I'm 31 and I have very little body hair and I'm nowhere close to being able to grow a full beard. But I've read that those issues aren't due to having lower amounts of testosterone and are more to do with how your body is reacting to it.