Chemical causes of type 1

[alaska]

http://diabetesnewshound.com/type1/causes/

(Dan Hurley, author of book ‘Diabetes Rising’) also mentioned pollutants as a possible cause as well as cow’s milk in baby formula.

This is the one that's interesting for me. Prof Knipp has identified a link between milk as well -via an 'enterovirus'. I'm wondering whether a particular food additive may have some part to play.

Preceding my type 1 diagnosis were some possible causes:

1. Go-kart crash into a brick wall
I can't personally think the impact should have triggered an auto-immune response.
Perhaps if I was given a particular painkiller though -I don't remember anything out the ordinary
Was I given anything to cure the cuts I suffered? -an antiseptic? An antiseptic could contain a particular chemical.

2. Immune jab
I remember we had a jab at our boarding house (1992) at one point. I can't remember when but, it could have been in Oct/November prior to my symptoms starting.
The jab may have been either flu or tetanus

3. I was also having milk and biscuits every day at our boarding house so perhaps something in one particular batch of milk be suspect. Milk undergoes quite a lot of processing before it gets to onto the shop shelves.


What about others?

Can we stick to chemical/additive/injection/pollutant reasons only for the purposes of this thread?

For things that aren't chemical/additive/injection/pollutant ideas, there's this thread available:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=20044

I expect this may be too constrained for some people, but any replies would be very interesting

 

[alaska]

...just want to credit catherinecherub for picking out the website link

 

[catherinecherub]

...just want to credit catherinecherub for picking out the website link

Thanks
I did post on this subject before but got no replies.


viewtopic.php?f=19&t=12658&p=116143&hilit=dan+hurley#p116143

 

[alaska]

Thanks catherine

That's the thread I saw

These ones interest me most at this point in time:

.....The cows milk hypothesis.
.....The persistent organic pollutants hypothesis.

 

[donnellysdogs]

My brothers and I were brought up on 14 pints of gold top jersey milk EACH day.......I was the only one thought that also would not eat normal foods, until the age of 6 when my parents took my brothers abroad and left me at home, because I wouldn't eat properly and would be too much bother!!! I was actually brought up until I was 6 on Gold top milk with complan in it and nesquik (!!!) and sausages-as they were the only things I would eat. I would have at least 5 pints of milk a day (with complan and nesquik!!!!).

I was diagnosed type 1 26 years ago, my brothers weren't. They ate normal foods besides the milk!!!!

I also then went on to ba a complete and utter chocolholic and cocacolaholic (in glass bottles).

No good blaming parents, it was totally me, that refused to eat properly, even at such a young age. After the brothers going on holiday without me though, I did start eating normal foods, it taught me a lesson, BUT we all contiinued to drink so much milk till we all left home.

Even now, myu favourite hypo fix is a tommee tippee mug of milk and a teaspoon of sugar....(just hope my DSN doesn't read this!!!-she prefers me to have jelly babies!!).....

Always lots of conjecture on what causes diabetes (of any type!!), just wish that tit was possible for future generations to have a definitive answer!!!

 

[alaska]

Also from that article:

One possibility he raises is that due to increased hygiene, important parasites have been wiped out of the body.

I believe that an overly-hygienic environment could well be a possible cause -however, I personally feel it's more likely to do with gradual ingestion of small amounts of the cleaning chemicals rather than an absence of 'helpful' bacteria.

 

[SophiaW]

My daughter was fed formula milk from the age of 3 months, I had to return to work and breastfeeding was not an option at the time. My son, who doesn't have diabetes, was breastfed until 6 months. Both my children drank a lot of milk when they were little, we preferred to offer them milk or water rather than juice or squash. They both drank the recommended 1 pint of full fat milk per day, sometimes they might have had more than a pint a day.

Neither of my children have ever had flu jabs. They both were vaccinated but Jess didn't have her final MMR booster at the age of 4.

I don't use a lot of chemical cleaners in the house. The ones I do use are the "environmental friendly" ones like Ecover. I'm not a fanatical cleaner so they are used sparingly, our house is clean but not sterile.

In the two years before Jess was diagnosed we had an allotment so she had plenty of opportunity to get dirty and be exposed to germs. I didn't use chemicals on the allotment or in our garden, no poisons, artificial fertilisers etc. But our allotment neighbour did. I can't be certain that he didn't spray some of my plants out of the goodness of his heart trying to be helpful. Or wind might have dispersed chemicals onto our plants whilst he was applying his potions. I did teach our children to always wash the food before eating it as I didn't trust that poisons had not been applied to our crops.

Jess has always eaten a very healthy and varied diet, there's not much that she won't eat although she doesn't like meat very much. My son on the other hand is a bit on the fussy side when it comes to food, but it's more about how the food has been prepared rather than the type of food. Jess is between the 25th and 50th percentile for both height and weight for her age so on the smaller side for her age.

Jess was very ill with a flu like virus in the weeks before being diagnosed. She has suffered ear infections often during early childhood and seemed to roll from one cold to the next during the winter months. During the first four years up until being diagnosed Jess has received her fair share of Calpol and a few doses of antibiotics but no other medication (apart from those vaccinations a few years before).

 

[noblehead]

The cows milk connection is old news and was touted about in the 80's as a possible cause of type 1 diabetes, preceding my diabetes I would drink a full pint of milk with my lunch at work.

Nigel

 

[annettekp]

Both my sons were breastfed till about 12 months, have cows milk every day in some form, had all available vaccinations, have a varied healthy diet, access to the garden and my parents farm.

One son has diabetes the other doesn't. Who knows why? But my son did have a dreadful cold in the weeks preceding his diagnosis. Enterovirus?

 

[Zanshin]

I tried to work out why I`m diabetic years ago.
1) I used to take ecstacy every now and again prior to being diagnosed.
2) I`ve also taken a few blows to the head (boxing).
3) One of my parents is diabetic

Draw whatever conclusions you like, but my money is on 3) as the main cause....

 

[Erin]

Hi Alaska,

I'm relatively new here (a week or so) and I read in a Johns Hopkins Diabetes book, most diabetic causes are either due to Virus, Genetic, Pancreatic disease, Drugs or Autoimmunity. I would like to read the book "Diabetes Rising". Probably external causes are not as common as genetic or metabolic triggers, but there is an epidemic these days which is a mystery, imho. Is it possible that people just died of unrecognized diabetes complications in the past? Or is there something new in our environment, or new viruses that attack beta cells.

BTW, VACOR is a drug that induces diabetic mellitus. It is a rodenticide -- wonder if it's dumped in the water, for example.

 

[TheSparkyPony]

Jess was very ill with a flu like virus in the weeks before being diagnosed. She has suffered ear infections often during early childhood and seemed to roll from one cold to the next during the winter months. During the first four years up until being diagnosed Jess has received her fair share of Calpol and a few doses of antibiotics but no other medication (apart from those vaccinations a few years before).

This is what I believe was my trigger as well. I was very poorly as a child, and was always at the drs for one infection or another. I can't stand banana flavoured products now due to that awful liquid Amoxicillin (supposed to be banana favoured....was it h*ll! :evil: )

From what I've heard (please don't quote me, it's just a mash of random quotes over the years!) is that a virus can mutate your body's antibodies and cause them to attack the insulin cells....now this would make sense, given mine and SophiaW's daughter's scenarios.

Certainly is food for thought! x

 

[Erin]

Just came across the word "polyphagia", in a Diabetes book. It means great hunger and it is a symptom of diabetis.

I found this interesting re: the "Epidemic" because it suggests that all these millions may be Diabetic first, and obese later.

And if that is so, it might have something to do with the progressive lack of medical check-ups, such as the Yearly check-up which disappeared in the 60s (in Canada at least as far as I know) along with other costly preventive medical care.

As for the ethnicity, could it be poverty in India, China and black and indigenous people's situation and not their genes?

 

[AndyS]

I thought the bulk of T1 was due to AutoImmune disorders.
The trouble there is they just don't know exactly what the trigger is. There is plenty of evidence that there is a genetic link which possibly predisposes you to the issue but nothing firm.

Chemicals, Illness, Stress and injury are all attributed depending on the study you look at.
I know in my case I am the only person in my entire family that has T1. But that said I am also the only person in my family to have Graves Disease too. Again an Autoimmune disorder.
Growing up I ate exactly the same as my sisters and everyone else in the family and yet I am the only one affected.

I think there is probably no single root cause though there are probably some factors that increase your risk same as any other problem like heart disease etc. hence why you always hear the term "Risk Factors"

One thing is for sure, if anyone every figures out a universal solution to Autoimmune issues they will get a Nobel prize for it since it will fix a long list of conditions.

/A