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Strong genetic disposition to type 2: diabetes inevitable?

H

hose1975

Well-Known Member
Messages
108
Location
Cambridge
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Is it possible to have such a strong genetic disposition to type 2 diabetes that progression to it being fully blown is inevitable despite being an appropriate weight, keeping carbohydrate intake down and exercising regularly, and without it actually being LADA?

I ask because it looks like I might be headed down this particular rabbit hole
 
I'm not sure I would say it's inevitable, although the stronger the genetic disposition the more likely it is to progress to full blown type 2. It's the same with any genetic predispositon, just because the predisposition is there it is not a guarantee that you will get it. However given that you say that you are heading in that direction already I would say that your chances are extremely high.
 
Diabetes T2 is caused by a host of different genes and should really be called polygenetic diabetes. The more of the diabetes genes you have the more likely you'll develop diabetes. I should know, with all the diabetic relatives I have and both parents diabetics.
 
This is a question on nature vs nurture. We are born with a genetic blue print - a set of instructions that live in all living cells in our bodies. Your genetic make up,(your instructions fro life) are there from the very beginning - i.e. about 9 months BEFORE you are born.
This does not mean that things can not be changed - but changes are down to how we make the most or the least of our genetic instruction book.
Let's say a person has the genetic make up to be tall, big and strong. That is the potential., but the potential will only be fully met with good nutrition, and exercise. Without it, the potential is not fully utilised.

I was born with the genetic instructions to be Type 2. It may manifest itself in my appetite for sugary food, or my radical on/off switch which can mean I alternate between training 2-3 times a day for years and then doing absolutely nothing for years, or it could be more direct - the pancreas was pre-programmed to throw a wobble in my 50's.

It is NOT down to nurture. My grandmother was diabetic. My Dad probably is but doesn't go to the doctor. I am, well...I'm here aren't I and the extreme likelihood is that my kids will be Type 2. My job as a parent is to make them make the most of their opportunities for fitness and healthy eating so that it becomes a habit. They will then put off the day for as long as possible - even to the extent that they die before it ever affects them. Nature vs nurture.

Biology garduate, T2 Oct 15 and making the most of my genetic potential to deal with this. In fact, I would go as far as to say I haven't felt this good in at least 15 years and the way I am dealing with diabetes has helped me deal with other health problems to the extent that being T2 has possibly added a few years to my life.
 
I have been heading down the rabbit hole since my glucose tolerance went screwy at 4 yrs old.

I've been moderating my carb intake since I got control of my own diet at around 18 yrs old.

I've been low carb for 30 yrs and very low carb for 2-3

My last appt at the endocrinology clinic the consultant said 'we knew it was going to happen, it was just a matter of when.'

In light of all the above, I get rather annoyed when people tell me it is a lifestyle choice. Perhaps I should point out that delaying T2 onset for about 35 years was the result of strenuous ongoing self disciplined lifestyle choices, eh?

Your mileage may, of course, vary - since not everyone gets the same genetic setup. We are unique little snowflakes.
 
I am not an expert but would say yes you are more likely to develop it if you have a family history of T2. That make us more predisposed to it because it is in our genes and we can't change those. We can change our diet but that will not stop it but it can keep it under control
 
No, that's rediculous. You could carry a gene for t 2 diabetes but that's just a bullet, you diet is the gun. Less than 2% of all disease is genetic. My Mom fed us kids coffee and doughnuts for breakfast. I ate coffee and doughnuts at breakfast of 2 years and now I have diabetes. Is that genetic? I think not, Mommy now has diabetes and so do I. Insulin abuse is the only thing I know that causes obesity and type 2 diabetes. I'm an orthomolecular nutritionist slecializing in obesity and type 2 diabetes.
 
Then you should have know better than to eat doughnuts for breakfast.
 
why then are there overweight people without D and underweight people that develop D.

your insulin abuse statement is clearly an opinion based on limited knowledge and should be tempered with the fact that more and more is being uncovered about multiple subtypes of type 2 and not all are diet based.

my own father and 2 uncles are all type 2 -- only 1 is overweight
the other 2 are underweight and have managed for years on a lower carb based diet due to prior knowledge from my diagnosiss.

I myself was diagnosed type 1 at age 14 - long before any of my relatives developed this chronic condition.

you are stirring a pot of which you know not all the ingredients.
 
I was adopted as a baby. None of my adoptive family have diabetes or any sign of it. Clearly I was brought up exactly the same as my siblings - same diet, same levels of exercise. I'm the only diabetic. When I found my birth family, I also found out that every woman in my family, in every generation, has had type 2 diabetes. I would say yes, some genes are strong!
 
My paternal grandmother T2, Dad T2, Brother T2, twin sister T2 (about 10 yrs before me), but now classed as non diabetic due to losing weight and Spanish/med diet (lives in Seville). Uncle (dad's brother) T2 he has 3 children T2 and 1 who is T1
My maternal grandmother T2, Aunt T2, she had 2 sons 1 x T2 and 1 x T1, uncle T2 he had 1 son T2
There could be more cousins now as I've lost touch with most of them. The diabetic nurse told me that it would be a matter of time until I was T2
 
I have been thinking this for a while myself. Maternal grandad, paternal granma, 2 older brothers, my son and nephew (sisters son)are all T2. Incidentally said sister isnt diabetic.
 
Genetics play a significant part, whether you have the trait depends on whether the gene(s) are dominant or recessive, how many genes , not necessarily all, are required for the trait to develop. If a single gene is recessive and carried by both parents then there is a 1/4 chance of developing the condition, if it is dominant in either parent then there is a 3/4 chance of developing the condition and a 1/4 chance that you won't ; multiple genes muddy the water somewhat, I think that if multiple genes are involved then a person could develop a condition even if neither parent has the condition, although the chances are small. However, there are also epigenetic factors that can cause the effects of different genes to be turned on or off as you grow.
 
Like @Lizj I was adopted as a baby. Non of my large family if adoptive relatives had diabetes and yet many were obese.

My birth mother tracked me down when I was 28 and I discovered T2 was rife in the family.

I was only diagnosed with my signature stats very recently and have since done several BG tests with my kids (all adults) and my middle child, who in physique and looks is the most like me has pre-diabetes. Yet he's a regional 1500m runner and as thin as a whippet.

I embraced a total life style change and my signature at 7 weeks says it all.

So.... I think genetically speaking there was no avoiding T2 for me...but getting a hold of it and exerting powerful control has certainly been possible.

I hope that answers your question


Diagnosed 13 April 16: T2, no meds, HbA1c 53, FBG 12.6, Trigs 3.6, HDL .75, LDL 4.0, BP 169/95, weight 13st 8lbs, waist 34" (2012 - 17st 7lbs, waist 42").

2 June 16: FBG AV 4.6, Trigs 1.5, HDL 2.0, LDL 3.0, BP 120/72, weight 11st 11lbs, waist 30" (2012 - 17st 7lbs, waist 42").

Never give in, never give in, never never never given in...Winston Churchill.

Sent from my iPhone3 June16:

Sent from my iPhone
 
My Grandmother, my Mother both her sisters, me and both my sisters all diabetic not overweight or obese. All down the female line, my GP said very strong genetic line. No chance we were not going to get it.
 
Both my parents diagnosed at 60 as type 2, neither obese.
War children born in the 1930's
So old school diets for both.
My doctor says this was a contributing factor to my early on set at 40 after being on strong antibiotics for almost a year waiting for facial surgery to remove a tumour from soft tissue between my nose and mouth.
I've never been obese. At 6 ft tall and at my heaviest weight 13.7st
I would say slightly overweight.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app
 
Deff Jeff, have you been tested for any of the monogenic or mitochondrial types of diabetes (also known as MODY)? My consultant thinks that all non-obese people with a T2 diagnosis should be tested, but most doctors just classify all diabetes that isn't T1 as T2. The importance of getting tested is that treatment can vary a lot depending on the type, and metformin (first resort for T2) is useless for most MODYs.

My diabetes is mitochondrial (i.e. anyone can have it but only your mother can pass it on!), but I think most monogenic types are autosomal. In my case, both my mother and my grandmother are slightly overweight; grandmother didn't develop DB till her 90s, mother shows no sign in her 70s, I developed it in my 30s, my brother in his 40s. Well-fed Gen X! I've never been overweight, but I can now see I was over-loading a weak insulin production with too many "healthy" carbs - you know, wholemeal bread with low-fat spread type thing.

Kate
 
Thanks for the info. I'm currently in a pre-diabetic state, and not on medication. My doctor has never mentioned the above. I have an appointment next week.
Think I'll ask him. His advice to me was the NHS leaflet, and as a type 2 Diabetic himself told me to look on line for better information and gave me the two main UK based forums. This one and diabetes UK.org.
In his opinion the best information is here on the internet. I spoke to him about a more paleo diet. So far things are going well. I have lost weight and my levels are coming down without meds.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app
 
Well the only members of my family that I ever knew apart from my parents were two grandmothers, one great aunt, one aunt and a cousin...grandfathers died before I was born.. none of them had diabetes as to the rest of the family that I never knew I can't speak for them. I was diagnosed T2 after my yearly blood test last year.
My own son who had never been overweight about 10 years ago suddenly lost a lot of weight and he drinking loads of fluid and had really bad fatigue and he was diagnosed in his forties as a late onset T1. He was on insulin but never felt quite right and his BG fluctuated a lot from high to very low and the doctor kept changing the dosage. A couple of years ago he moved house so he saw a new GP and consultant who because of the problems he was having did not think he was actually T1 so it was was changed to T2/Lada they couldn't really decide what but he was taken off insulin and is now just on tablets has a lower carb diet..no potatoes rice pasta pastry not to much bread he eats lots of salad meat vegetables and fruit and his BG levels are good and he said he has never felt better..He was told by the consultant that his two children now in their twenties were at low risk of developing diabetes but time will tell I suppose.
 
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