Current Events > Random reminder: Type 2 diabetes went from being rare to dominant

(+) Yeah! (+)

200 years ago diabetics were almost exclusively classified as type 1, primary failure of pancreatic beta islet cells to secrete insulin. Often diagnosed in childhood, these poor kids would pee more and more until they rapidly began to breath and fall into a coma. Shortly thereafter they would die.

The reason for their death was a lack of insulin. Once insulin came out and was widely available mortality plummeted and diabetes was no longer a death sentence.

Yet, a bizarre phenomenon has happened over the last several hundred years: the ratio has flopped. Instead of type 1 diabetes being most common type 2, or insulin insensitivity, is now dominant.

It is getting diagnosed at a younger and younger age as well, often starting in the teens which masks it for type 1.

The reason?

Same as diverticulitis. This is a new disease entirely actually. 200 years ago diverticulitis didn't exist because the colon diverticulum did not exist, either. Pathologists were initially confused at the appearance of random outpouchings of the colon. Eventually it was conclusively linked or strongly associated with processed foods.

That's why it's a new disease: no one ever ate food that could cause it in 1800.

Diet too likely plays a roll in type 2 diabetes and its explosion in the 21st century.

Wonder what other kind of disease we'll invent to give ourselves.

besides superflus and other anti-biotic-immune bacteria?

besides poverty? racism? sexism? xenophobia? nuclear war?

I thought it was because of poor diets

Blue_Inigo posted...

I thought it was because of poor diets

Bingo. Its the stuff in the foods we eat that are almost impossible to avoid.

It also has a shorter life expectancy than AIDS.

Im not really interested in comparing diseases from 200 years ago to now

medicine basically didnt exist 200 years ago

Suddenly when the governess pushes food pyramids, grains, and bad science, we all get fat

The average person in the 70s ate twice as much red meat and was lean and mean. They also got muff like crazy

Edit: the average muff in the 70s would be top 1/5 in today's muff.

It's poor diet.

Unsugarized_Foo posted...

They also got muff like crazy

Edit: the average muff in the 70s would be top 1/5 in today's muff.

wat

Robot2600 posted...

besides poverty? racism? sexism? xenophobia? nuclear war?

I guess if any of those are medical conditions, sure

TheGoldenEel posted...

Im not really interested in comparing diseases from 200 years ago to now

medicine basically didnt exist 200 years ago

thanks for not reading

Unsugarized_Foo posted...

Suddenly when the governess pushes food pyramids, grains, and bad science, we all get fat

Disagree

foods have increasingly gotten worse since earlier times. If anything food pyramids are holding back the dam. Otherwise we have a civilization that 100% lives off of coke and Cheetos.