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How long does it take for T2 to develop?

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wizardlywitch

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Just that really. I'm getting mixed answers from Google so unsure what to believe but I suppose it does vary.

18-year-old female with binge eating disorder. I have been binge-eating on and off since around August (?) and I had an HbA1c done in mid-October and the results were 28 mmol/mol. I have been trying my best to exercise for 30-60 mins a day as I'm otherwise very sedentary and eating well for the most part however in the run-up to Christmas I've had quite a few treats and binged massively today on Christmas chocolates, cake and sweets.

My weight is 117 lbs so definitely not overweight but have I finally done it? Have my binges pushed me into the pre-diabetic threshold since my normal blood results in October? Or does T2 diabetes take years to develop?

Currently feeling very sick and sorry for myself. Anxiety thrown into the mix does not help.
 
You're nowhere near prediabetic. There's a whole bunch of different measurements involved, and I'm thinking the 28 made you think it was high. And it would have been, if it had been a finger prick measurement of 28 mmol/l. But it's a HbA1c, which measured your blood glucose of 3 months. That's measured in mmol/mol, and has no resemblance to the numbers a prick would have... All in all, you're very safely in the non-diabetic numbers as you are right now. Just take good care of yourself, maybe seek help for the eating disorder? Breathe. No anxiety required.

You're not diabetic. Best Christmas gift we've got for you this year.
 
Make sure your clear on the units of measurement you are using.

An HbA1c reading of 28 mmol/mol is a very good and perfectly normal level.

Diabetes takes years to develop in most cases, it also isn't something that is almost directly connected to over eating or binging. Those are increased risk factors, but there are many many people who eat and are very obese and will be we never develop the condition. Equally there are people that are very slim who can develop the condition.

Unless you have mixed up your units, your not diabetic. Still it's best to try and resolve and reasons you may be overeating for general health, but if it's just a Christmas splurge chill out and enjoy the festive season

It can take years to develop type 2.


Post edited by moderator to remove unsubstantiated information.
 
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I would like to add though, that upon reflection and in my case, some of the symptoms I have experienced go back a lot further than 2014 when my very first HbA1c reading was 49. I didn’t know at the time but I am convinced that 20 years ago some of the earliest signs were apparent, chiefly because they became more entrenched as the years rolled by, reaching a peak this time last year.

In your case you seem to be on the safe side right now. I do believe that for many, too much sugar in ones diet will catch up with us in the end. It did with me but over a longer time frame than you are thinking of.
 
For me it didn't take long. 7 months.
My hba1c in may was 5.3, in feb it was 6.0.
However i took milk kefir which i attribute to contributing my high hba1c and settingmy path to diabetes. Stop binging though. And seek help for anxiety before this becomes serious.
Speaking from experience.
 
Your HbA1c is excellent. It is good that you are mindful of diabetes.

One hypothesis (very strong I think) is that before getting pre-diabetes / diabetes insulin levels are dysfunctional. This means more and more insulin is required to deal with the excessive glucose loads of the same amount - the body will di what it can to maintain glucose within "normal" limits. Eventually the amount of insulin does not keep up with the ability to clear blood glucose.....diabetes.

Obviously you have a challenge to resolve your eating disorder. Whilst many Type 2's are nowhere near your condition, we can empathise as some of us struggle with food in a different way; missing several carby foods. Something is driving your condition, use your inner strength to manage and beat this to unleash your full potential and at jealousy inducing 18 years old, with fantastic life potential ahead of you.

What has helped me to focus is an appreciation of others in worse positions, such as my Brother-in-Laws 20 year old son I have known all his life, and was at the hospital he was born in, who had to have a below the knee amputation. I have seen the ups and downs; similarly a family friend again known from birth, in and out of hospital eventually needing and getting a heart transplant. These examples have helped me. You may find your strength in a different way, but do try to help yourself, you'll feel such a sense of achievement. Maybe a focus such as sport (weight lifting, swimming etc), education, music, charity work.
 
@wizardlywitch - The HbA1c you quoted at 28, in October is a good, healthy number, so no issue there.

You don't describe anything to suggest that your body is unable to deal with what you eat and drink. If, as you say, you were binge eating from, say mid-August, and still returned an A1c of 28 in October, it looks like your body was, at that time, still able deal with what you were eating.

(Whilst an HbA1c test is described as an average blood sugar reading over the last 3 months, it is influenced by the most recent 2 months, and shorter, so you initial binges could be accounted for in the October test.)

I don't see a test for December or more recently than October, so aside from your binge eating, I can't see anything to highlight that your eating might have pushed you up alarmingly.)

In a healthy person, with an agile metabolism, it can be astonishing what it can cope with. That doesn't mean that bingeing on sugar/carb heavy foods is absolutely fine. It's not a great idea from all sorts of perspectives.

My advice to you now would be that, if you are unable to do it by your own free will, that you seek help with your bingeing activity. That seems to be at the core of your issues you describe.

At 18 you can develop Type 2 diabetes, but what you describe of yourself (aside from the bingeing) isn't make me want to run a big red flag up any flagpoles. Anyone eating a lot of food they aren't used to consuming could easily develop indigestion and feel nauseous. Just think how many ads we see on TV at this time of year for indigestion tablets, and how many folks we hear of who need to have a little nap after their Christmas dinner?

Please seek help for that anxiety and bingeing. It's important.

On a final note: Do you have any family members who live with diabetes of any type?
 

It can take years, or less or decades.... there is no set time.

Enjoy the fact you are not even close to anything pre or diabetic. Smile, relax, enjoy the wondrous gift that is life!
 


Thank you for replying. My parents are both T2 and were diagnosed a few years ago. I don't think (aside from Christmas) my binges have been massive, but they have been binges nonetheless and not just simply overeating. Would you say, as I'm young and otherwise healthy, even with the binging since my HbA1c, there's still a good chance I haven't developed pre-diabetes since my HbA1c in October?
 
Possibility is very less, keep anxiety in control. Try not to think. Anxiety is worst then diabetes.
I would suggest to control your anxiety otherwise it can make you to take decisions which one would never take with sane mind. I am one of that person whose life is destroyed by anxiety, i have taken some very regretful decisions becauseof that.
A normal person would heard these assurances and moved on happily with life. But because of anxiety you are spending your time here then either being more productive or enjoying your life. Relax and enjoy.
 
wizardlywitch said:
Would you say, as I'm young and otherwise healthy, even with the binging since my HbA1c, there's still a good chance I haven't developed pre-diabetes since my HbA1c in October?
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Yes.
(Try to solve the binge eating, even if it doesn't lead to diabetes it is not good for your health in general)
 

In what I have read, you aren't describing any strong symptoms of diabetes developing. Your HbA1c is great. You don't carry excess weight.

There is no way I or anyone else here can diagnose or for that matter rule out a diagnosis for you. Only further testing, by your Doctor could do that, however, I would think it unlikely you have crossed the line.
 
Only a doctor can diagnose - and with your previous Hba1c number they are unlikely to be concerned.
You might find that eating fewer carbs you will reduce the urge to binge, as I suspect that a lack of micronutrients can be a trigger for erratic eating behaviour.
Try taking a good wide spectrum vitamin and mineral tablet a couple of times a week on consecutive days to see if you can see a reduced tendency to overeat afterwards.
The way we eat doesn't bring on diabetes - it would not be possible to revert to normal numbers if type two were some sort of punishment. The inability to deal with carbs is inherent. By skewing our eating towards protein and fat we can push our metabolism back onto a level where it can run properly again. This can make things a lot better in terms of energy, mental health, various aches and pains - my skin is so soft and smooth now, my eyes are bright, hair glossy, cold nose - oh hang on cancel that last - three years of uninterupted low carb eating have taken years off me. I even get my bus pass checked, and I qualified for it years ago.
 

Thanks for the advice. I never thought I would need to low-carb (although I only eat whole grains, anyway) but it's something I'm going to take into consideration now.
 
wizardlywitch said:
Thanks for the advice. I never thought I would need to low-carb (although I only eat whole grains, anyway) but it's something I'm going to take into consideration now.
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Please have another HbA1c done before making changes that may not be strictly necessary at the moment.

Personally, I think you would get better return from concentrating on sorting out the binges.
 
wizardlywitch said:
Thanks for the advice. I never thought I would need to low-carb (although I only eat whole grains, anyway) but it's something I'm going to take into consideration now.
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Only whole grains? Grains of any kinds are very high in carb, they result in the highest glucose levels, and therefore the highest release of insulin and the swiftest drops in blood glucose levels, which are what trigger sensations of hunger.
I would suggest that eating carbs from less dense sources - lots of salads, low carb veges in stir fries, foods which are highly nutritious and very various in their micronutrient content, and the fresher the better - I always have low carb mixes of veges and also berries in the freezer.
I ate low carb whenever I could right from my early twenties, and I am approaching 70 now. I found it really benefited my health and well being, I was always slimmer and fitter when eating low carb.
 
wizardlywitch said:
Thanks for the advice. I never thought I would need to low-carb (although I only eat whole grains, anyway) but it's something I'm going to take into consideration now.
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You know, the best thing you can do for yourself is to learn how to avoid T2 if your parents have it and you are eating like that and worrying that you'll get it. Watch this It will help understand how it develops and what to look out for long before diabetes is diagnosed. Basically, you don't want to keep going until you get a diagnosis. That would be silly.

The thing about bingeing on sugars is that it's likely to make your anxiety worse. I ate a lot of sweets throughout my life. I wouldn't say I was bingeing on them but in my last pregnancy I kind of was - like eating ice cream or chocolate before bed...
But my head was in the sand about just how bad that was for my health. It's cumulative. Everything you eat, adds up eventually. It can take years but long before anyone will warn you about the damage you are doing, you will have problems with your health, teeth and emotions if you allow yourself to eat large amounts of sweets regularly. If you are anxious now, eating sugar is going to make it worse. You have to find something else to put in your mouth when you start to crave it. Eat a fatty steak every time you crave sugar. Force yourself to eat something healthy (not carbs though) to fill your tummy. Your cravings will subside.

Check out Panic Free TV (with Michael Norman) on youtube. He has a few (free) videos that can help you with anxiety. Learn about Buteyko breathing. Observe your own breathing when you are feeling anxious. You can arrest anxiety somewhat if you hardly breathe at all. Deep breathing can sometimes make you feel worse.

Oh yeah, get some chewing gum. That can also help if you can get it in your mouth before you start on the naughty things.
 
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