Diabetes is a progressive disease

[swimmer2]

One of several things I observed at last night's Hounslow Diabetes UK meeting, was that there are several standard comments that get repeated, such as eating lots of eggs causes high cholesterol and eating red meat (as an alternative to carbs) is bad for your heart.

But one that was repeated 3 times by the host last night was..

Diabetes is a progressive disease

This was also followed by ;

1) an assertion that foot complications were inevitable if you lived long enough.
2) a low carb diet might not be suitable if you're on tablets or insulin.

I really wanted to challenge the assertion of the progressive argument, but didn't really know where to start. Surely if my HBA1C is low enough then I can reverse insulin resistance and halt beta cell depletion. If I do that then what, exactly, is progressing?

So in the interest of building up a knowledge base of standard responses to these standard criticisms, can we start with "Diabetes is NOT a progressive disease, because..."

[Paul1976]

"Diabetes is NOT a progressive disease, because.......if we can maintain blood glucose control through dietary intervention,meds when required,to that of a NON Diabetic,then why should it prevent us living a normal life expectancy with a good standard of health"

[sugerfree]

we learn what to eat and do,so are health is in are own hands ,only those who have ,can understand,how we feel ,tiredness, cravings and everything that goes with it,this sounds dark,but we all born to die ,we just know what to do to live longer in my opinion

[Daibell]

Hi. It worries me the relative nonsense spoken at some of these diabetes meetings. There is no evidence that T2 progression is inevitable. It all depends on the flavour of db you have, your diet, mangement of bs etc. I'd love to hear the evidence-based research that says that low-carb may not be suitable for those on tablets or insulin; as far as I'm concerned it's complete nonsense and should be challenged.

[IanD]

Me, from last night:
....
That diet was basically as recommended by Diabetes UK. I was also warned that diabetes was progressive, & I would progress from diet to tablets to insulin, while suffering health deterioration.
....
My condition progressed slowly, as predicted. In 2003 I started taking metformin
....
We are NOT talking about cutting out carbohydrates, only reducing them. The harmful effects of a high carbohydrate diet are evident – diabetes is progressive & results in complications.

The supposed harmful effects of low carbohydrate are not documented.
....

The truth is that if you feed a diabetic with more carbs than he can handle, his condition will progress. That is one undisputed truth about the DUK high carb diet.

OTOH the warnings against a low carb diet are not based on observation. Reported trials & personal experience indicate that progression of the disease can be slowed, halted or even reversed, without adverse effects on our health.

[bonnynemia]

Swimmer2,

May I invite your attention to my latest post titled, My T2D Seems To Be Not Progressive.

Please click on this link: http://diabeteshealth.com/read/2012/09/24/7659.html

I have to make it very clear, though, that I have not discovered the secret to reversing T2D. What I am trying to say is that, based on my own experience with my disease going 22 years, anyone of us has the power, the ability, the patience, and the time to find for himself the way to live long free of complications caused by diabetes.

Enjoy life always!!!

Bonny Damocles

[Indy51]

"Diabetes is NOT a progressive disease, because.......if it was, Dr Richard K Berstein who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1946 would now be dead instead of a happy, healthy, medical practitioner of 78 years young who is still helping diabetics maintain normal blood glucose levels and avoid/reverse complications of diabetes."

The man is a living legend!!!

[Patch]

I think it's obvious to ALL of us that "Diabetes IS a progresive disease when treated conventionally".

What other evidence do we need that conventional wisdom on the treatment of Diabetes is WRONG?!?

[lucylocket61]

I noticed on The Food Hospital the other night that the percentage of carbs recommended by the dietician for a healthy diet has gone from 50% to 33%

Progress????

[Grazer]

I noticed on The Food Hospital the other night that the percentage of carbs recommended by the dietician for a healthy diet has gone from 50% to 33%

Progress????

That's interesting - was that for everyone, or diabetics? Can some clever spark on here work out what 33% would be for a good calorie intake for a person in terms of grams carbs per day?

[lucylocket61]

It was for everyone, not Diabetics BUT

It seems crazy to recommend a lower figure of carbs for those who are not Diabetic, doesn't it?

Perhaps its a cunning plan to kill off all the Diabetics

(I am joking...I think)

However, I have never understood eating loads of carbs to cover the amount insulin my father has. Isnt it better to eat fewer carbs and use less insulin? (he is type 2 as well)

[Unbeliever]

I noticed that too Lucy? I hope that many diabetes HCPs and DUK were watching!

The NHS , like the educational system moves very slowly. It takes many years for them to reach a particular posiion and even longer for them to change it. We all know that here are HCPs who know better but they are afraid to speak out. Its a pity .

if there was only a way hat they could epress their misgivings or some way for them o find others wih the same convictions .

I suppose that this happens often in many other fields besides diabetes.

The idea of diabetes inevitably progressing is very firmly entrenched. A friend of mine in his late sixties was old recently by the Practice Nurse that the pancrea of mos MEN was worn out by the ime they reached the sixties and sooner or later they all became diabetic!

As this sort of thing has been reinforced by onbservaion for years many HCPs have drawn what seems to be an incorrect conclusion.

There is an incredible lack of communication in the Healh Service and patents have no effective voice at all.