There are two things for certain with Diabetes (both Type I and Type II):
Pre-disposition + Environment/lifestyle = Increased risk.
Whether or not you choose to follow that path, or defend your body against it, is up to you. Sounds too easy, doesn’t it? But according to research and science, the reality of where you live (environment), what you eat (nutrition) and your activity level (fitness) can either work for or against you in the defense against both types of Diabetes.
So what can you do if your genetics are pointing your future toward this disease before being diagnosed with it? Can you “prevent” it from happening? Is your current lifestyle making you a likely candidate? Is surgery the answer?
Before we go any further, let's understand the truth about "Diabetic surgery":
*Surgery may be a “quick start” to help you but lifestyle changes (diet/nutrition and exercise) MUST be part of the entire process
As for Type I and Type II diabetes, the following facts may just help you find the answer before you encounter either type of this disease in your life:
Type I Diabetes has been linked to the following:
*Cold environment
*Genetic predisposition often inherited from both parents
*Viruses
*Not being breastfed as a baby
*A predisposition to certain “autoantibodies” in the blood.
**Antibodies are proteins that destroy bacteria or viruses. Autoantibodies are antibodies gone bad, attacking the body's own tissues
Other factors that increase the risk are provided below by the following website, Diabetes.org (http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/genetics-of-diabetes.html):
"In general, if you are a man with type 1 diabetes, the odds of your child getting diabetes are 1 in 17.
If you are a woman with type 1 diabetes and your child was born before you were 25, your child's risk is 1 in 25; if your child was born after you turned 25, your child's risk is 1 in 100.
Your child's risk is doubled if you developed diabetes before age 11. If both you and your partner have type 1 diabetes, the risk is between 1 in 10 and 1 in 4.
There is an exception to these numbers: About 1 in every 7 people with Type 1 Diabetes has a condition called type 2 polyglandular autoimmune syndrome.
In addition to having diabetes, these people also have thyroid disease and a poorly working adrenal gland. Some also have other immune system disorders. If you have this syndrome, your child's risk of getting the syndrome including Type 1 diabetes is 1 in 2.
Researchers are learning how to predict a person's odds of getting diabetes. For example, most whites with type 1 diabetes have genes called HLA-DR3 or HLA-DR4. If you and your child are white and share these genes, your child's risk is higher. (Suspect genes in other ethnic groups are less well studied. The HLA-DR7 gene may put African Americans at risk, and the HLA-DR9 gene may put Japanese at risk.)"
So, what do you do if it “seems” the cards are stacked against you?
*Nutrition – Medicine assists but it does not replace what nutrition provides. If you have been diagnosed, with either Type I or Type II Diabetes, attend a nutritional workshop to learn the how, what, when and why of nutrition and your disease.
*Exercise – Our ability to stay and be active is one of the most overlooked assets we naturally possess. Everyone can afford to stay active, regardless of their social or economic situation. Everyone can stay active unless they’ve already begun to suffer the loss of limbs or mobility. Commit to 30 minutes of aerobic and/or anaerobic exercise every day. Start with what you can do and build from there to what you need to be doing.
*Testing – There is medical testing to help predetermine Type I diabetes, however, most can be expensive. The easiest thing to do is to look at your history: It usually tells you what you might expect from your future.
What are the odds of having Type I Diabetes? Maybe 50/50. A study using identical twins (whom you might expect would raise those odds to a greater number) predisposed to Type I Diabetes, only stood a less chance (50/50)of having the disease, by comparison to children born of parents with Type II diabetes, where the risk increased to 75-100%. Here is why:
*Type II Diabetes
*Stronger link to family history (mostly to the mother)
*Lifestyle choices
*History of obesity
*Lack of nutrition and exercise
If a mother is diagnosed with Type II Diabetes before the age of 50 the child has a 1 in 7 chance of developing it, too. Those odds drop to 1 in 13 if the mother was diagnosed after 50. However, those odds are believed to increase to a 1 in 2 chance of a child being diagnosed with Type II Diabetes when both parents have been diagnosed. Another massive risk factor is when the parent has a rare genetic link called “maturity onset Diabetes of the young” (MODY), increasing their risk to 1 in 2.
One main reason why Type II Diabetes is much more preventable has to do with one common problem in our culture today: Nutritional education. Here, is why:
From how we were raised to what we believe to be true influences our life. Think about it: If you were shamed into eating everything on your plate then you likely learned to overeat. If you lived in a culture, that promoted nutritionally poor choices (Fast food, fried food and preservative filled food) you were trained to believe these food choices were acceptable.
Additionally, if your parents were inactive or did not put a priority on fitness/activity, if the television was constantly turned on in your home and you spent a lot of time being inactive during your free time, then you were subliminally being trained for your future. It’s not that you had “bad” parenting but that your parents (like most today) didn’t understand the importance nutrition and exercise would play in your future.
The understanding of nutrition and the importance of daily exercise is woefully lacking in most families. What we thought was healthy food and nutritional balance we are now learning has predisposed our future to diseases our culture is now fending off, mainly obesity and Diabetes. Current predictions are simply this: 50% of our society will suffer from both diseases by the year 2020. Unless we stop our behavior and choices today, tomorrow will sneak up on us sooner than we realize.
It’s astonishing to hear people talk about “grandma and grandpa”, what they ate, how long they lived and how healthy they were. Most grandchildren have no idea the problems their grandparents were dealing with, every day. Many of the diseases we now know about today were the exact ones that shortened the quality of life our ancestors lived, and were later culturally handed down to us.
So what can you do today if you are in the above category for being predisposed? Take action:
*Attend a nutritional wellness seminar to learn the how, what, when and why of nutrition
*Exercise every day for at least 30 minutes. As opposed to common thinking, joining a smaller gym or hiring a personal trainer is much more affordable when it comes to the outcome. If you can’t afford the hourly cost find out if you have a few friends who would like to share the wisdom of a personal trainer, one who would be willing to teach a “group” versus just an individual.
*Annual physicals are a God-send when it comes to prevention. Be aware of your parent’s health history and let your doctor know if either parent suffered from Type I or Type II Diabetes. If you’re not sure if they did or not, ask them.
Quick Tips for Wellness: The effects of Type I and Type II Diabetes are treatable and can be reduced through nutritional education and exercise.
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