Type 2 Self Inflicted/Family connection.

[Roddy666]

If type 2 is self inflicted or not why do Drs. ask if any family history of diabetes. If no family history of diabetes could that make me 1st generation diabetic?

 

[Bewildered]

I have no idea, but my mum was diagnosed T2 aged 54years (10 years ago), first in the family. Then my nan was diagnosed aged 85 (5 years ago), second in the family line. I was diagnosed aged 42 (6 months ago). However, I believe my other Nan had diabetes, she had her stomach stapled in the 1970's due to obesity (and she was huge). Not sure if the diabetes went after that or if she even lost weight (I am too young to remember, plus wouldn't have been interested back then).

 

[PatsyB]

No history of it in my family apart from my brother who has had it for about 15 years I believe the medication we take for certain illnesses can set it off.... I was alright until i started on statins and high blood pressure tablets...my brother has a mixture of tablets for rheumatoid arthritis

 

[Daphne917]

If type 2 is self inflicted or not why do Drs. ask if any family history of diabetes. If no family history of diabetes and I could that make me 1st generation diabetic?

Why do you say that Type 2 Diabetes is self-inflicted when it is caused by the body's inability to process glucose/insulin properly? There are many causes including drugs prescribed to treat other conditions - my BS rose to diabetic levels when I started taking statins (which I no longer take). However my G/father, Mother and Brother all had/have T2 diabgetes so for me there is a also family history

 

[Bebo321]

I just bumped into a lovely guy today - super fit (really - like a middle aged athlete) and has never been overweight. No history of Type 2 diabetes in his family, yet he has T2D.
Doctors realise that there can be a causal link between being overweight and leading a sedentary lifestyle and T2D - more especially if diabetes runs in the family, but it isn't always the case.

 

[Roddy666]

Daphne917 When I stated self inflicted that wasn't my actual opinion it is how the media seems to describe type 2, the point I was trying to refer to should my children be also concerned about developing type 2 regardless of their own lifestyles

 

[Jo123]

Well my gp said my pre diabetic state was caused by genetics. I asked to be tested due to diabetic symptoms, he was very surprised when the test came back as I was not overweight.
Plus having one of more diabetic parent is listed as a risk factor in the official diabetic info.
So sadly I think it is something which we can pass to our children

 

[Squire Fulwood]

I suppose that diabetes can be hereditary but I read the other day that there is evidence that if one partner gets T2 then the other one is at greater risk. This could just mean that all members of a family could have the same bad eating habits.

So there are two ways to get diabetes from your family. Heredity or all eating the same pizza's.

If no other members of your family are diabetic then it certainly makes you a first generation diabetic, possibly needing a lifestyle adjustment.

 

[catherinecherub]

This article from the main website has some information that you might find useful @Roddy666

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-and-genetics.html

 

[numan43]

The amounts of rubbish I used to eat when a younger man makes me think that it could be self inflicted

 

[uart]

I suppose that diabetes can be hereditary but I read the other day that there is evidence that if one partner gets T2 then the other one is at greater risk. This could just mean that all members of a family could have the same bad eating habits

Can someone please post a link to this news story, I'd like to look into just how strong this partner connection is. There was a thread here discussing it recently, but no links to the story. Apparently its was a news story emailed to members by this site, however I never saw it as I'm not receiving those emails at the moment.

My concern is that stories like this just love to headline with something like "study shows significant relationship between X and Y", but most people don't realize that a "statistically significant difference" is NOT necessarily an important difference.

This is a very important point. For example, it could be that there was something as little as a half a percent greater risk, but if the study is large enough then even a tiny difference can still be statistically significant.

In other words, a statistically significant link between X and Y does not mean there there is necessarily a strong link. It could indeed be a relatively weak link. Just one of the many ways that the average Joe can be misled by statistics.

 

[uart]

The amounts of rubbish I used to eat when a younger man makes me think that it could be self inflicted

But how many of your friends ate the same rubbish and didn't develop T2?

 

[catherinecherub]

This is the study @uart
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/271494.php

 

[numan43]

true uart..... funny though that I've always been a bit down on myself for getting diabetes

 

[TopCat_999]

I think there is an inherited trait in my in my family for T2 diabetes.

My Paternal Grandfather was diagnosed with T2 when he was aged about 50, my father was diagnosed with T2 at about the same age. My elder brother and myself have also been diagnosed in our 50s. Strangely enough my sisters seem to have escaped (they are 54 and 48). So the inherited trait seems to be on the male side.

 

[uart]

This is the study @uart
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/271494.php

Thanks Catherine.

I note that it says:

The risk of developing diabetes can increase if a person follows an unhealthy lifestyle. For example, if they have a diet high in fat

. Hmm? It was quite the opposite in my case. A diet low in fat (and high in carbs) helped to cause my T2 diabetes.

 

[Daphne917]

true uart..... funny though that I've always been a bit down on myself for getting diabetes

But how many of your friends ate the same rubbish and didn't develop T2?

@numan43 don't be too hard on yourself - because of the history of diabetes in the family I always ate what the NHS describe as healthily and still developed it as did my brother. However my sister who is bigger than me and still eats cakes, sweets etc was tested 3 months ago and has normal BS and cholesterol. There is also anumbe of other conditions in the family such as Celiac, arthritis, asthma etc so I was sure to get one of them!

 

[Roddy666]

So what would be the stats on having type 2 in the 50s and 60s before McDonald's came along. We certainly exercised more in those days

 

[chillijo]

I think there is an inherited trait in my in my family for T2 diabetes.

My Paternal Grandfather was diagnosed with T2 when he was aged about 50, my father was diagnosed with T2 at about the same age. My elder brother and myself have also been diagnosed in our 50s. Strangely enough my sisters seem to have escaped (they are 54 and 48). So the inherited trait seems to be on the male side.

My Fathers' side of the family was rife with Diabetes, in both parents families, and I have heard the gruesome tales of death and amputations of a couple of generations ago. My Father was diagnosed T2 in his 50's, I have been prediabetic since my 30's and now at 59 seem to have crossed the line. Cousins have it too,so yes, I think there is a link. No one on the whole in the family is particularly large either. Unfortunately my two young grandchildren have the trait on both sides so I have a feeling that they might become it too, unless of course a cure is found in the years to come!

 

[MarkE]

Self inflicted smacks rather of blaming the victim- been reading the Daily Hate, dear things?

Seriously, there are too many factors to blame any single cause for any specific case. I'm hardly the largest chap alive and I'm type II with proliferative retinopathy, and no history in the family of diabetes at all that we can trace- so it's a numbers game: you can reduce your risk, but even so the dice will still sometimes come up snake eyes.