Thin Type 2 Diabetics

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
My mum is a skinny t2d. She was dx'd years ago but I only found out recently by accident. She never told me and one of the carers just happened to mention it.

I was an obese t2d. Now I am a normal weight t2d. I have lost a great deal of weight and am still having the same bgl response to carbs that I had in the beginning. My hbalc is now 39 ( 4 weeks ago), but I am still diabetic.

I think for some of us the weight thing might be something of a red herring. There is a lot of autoimmune disease in my family. We have hashimotos, t1d, multiple sclerosis etc and something one of my grandchildren seems to have invented for himself. Some of us are fat, some thin. As my mum had 5 sisters and 1 brother and they all had children I have lots of cousins. The majority of us have some autoimmune health problems.

Recent studies are showing links between conditions. A huge study in india has highlighted a link between hypothyroidism and t2d.

At the moment t2d is not considered an autoimmune disease. But I think that will change. My dads family who are on the whole overweight dont have one single diabetic, either 1 or 2. But they still get tested. The skinny ones in mums family have very surprised gps when it turns out they are t2d.

I am lucky in many ways. I have found out before my hbalc was too high and I have many cousins to talk over family history and see patterns. I have lost a significant amount of weight and found a woe that gives me a healthier life style. But I think that unless the root cause of a link with t2d and autoimmune conditions is found and treated I will always be t2d, no matter how much weight I lose.

Even with the limitations of the nd study I am pleased that it was done. At least now there is hope for my childrens generation. But I am a bit concerned that the emphasis is being thrown onto weight.
I'm surprised that your Mum's family skinny ones turn out to be T2? How did the GPs know this? There is no real test for T2 versus T1 other than looking for high insulin resistance via the C-peptide test or specific resistance tests which GPs don't routinely do. I wonder whether these family members were actually LADA?
 

Alexandra100

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,738
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello. For protein, I take fish once or twice a week.
Hello Mugi, I'm glad you are eating fish regularly. Did you know, we need to consume protein every day as our bodies can't store it?
https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/need-protein-day-week-7759.html
Because I am trying to improve my muscles AND need to replace the carbs I am cutting out of my diet I consume protein at every meal. It is also thought that as we get older we need to take in more protein because we absorb it less well.