Is it true?

[cassiem0221]

My grandmother was always telling me not to drink sodas or eat too much sugary foods because it could cause diabetes. Is this true? I know that since I am already at risk it wouldn't help any but say a person has no genetic history, could it actually cause them to develop diabetes?

[Team Diabetes]

My grandmother was always telling me not to drink sodas or eat too much sugary foods because it could cause diabetes. Is this true? I know that since I am already at risk it wouldn't help any but say a person has no genetic history, could it actually cause them to develop diabetes?

Sort of. Here's what's funny...at the time your grandmother said this to you, she WAS 100% medically incorrect. Back in the day, the most common form of diabetes was Type 1 diabetes, the severe form that usually first appears in childhood.

Type 1 diabetes is NOT caused by diet, exercise, or excess weight, it is a disorder of the immune system (an autoimmune disease). But, most people back in the day had little medical knowledge, so it was common for those to hear the words "sugar diabetes" and think incorrectly that too much sugar in the blood was caused by *eating* too much sugar. Little did they realize that it would be *impossible* for eating too much sugar to cause a virus to trigger an autoimmune attack on the pancreas. People to this day still often misunderstand what causes Type 1 diabetes!

The best way to clear up confusion is to explain to people that Multiple Sclerosis is exactly the same kind of disease (an autoimmune disease) as Type 1 diabetes. You wouldn't say that a person with MS ate too much sugar to make themselves sick, would you? ;) In both cases, a faulty immune system response causes healthy tissues and organs to be attacked, just in different places.

NOW, what's really funny is that the old "sugar causes diabetes" myth is now turning out to be true...sort of. While *Type 1 diabetes will never be caused by sugar*, Type 2 diabetes IS linked to excess soda consumption. Type 2 diabetes is the form of diabetes that is associated with lifestyle and obesity. It now accounts for 90-95% of diabetes cases, which is sad. In many cases (but not all), Type 2 diabetes can be prevented with a healthy diet and exercise, which helps you to maintain a healthy weight and blood sugar.

Type 2 diabetes is now the most common form of diabetes. It is an epidemic. This is because people have gotten fatter and fatter each passing decade, and obesity rates have skyrocketed. It is now "normal" (but not healthier) to be overweight.

Type 2 diabetes in *most* cases is linked directly to diet and excess weight. Overall, you need to have the genes for Type 2 diabetes to get it, and some genes will predispose you to get it "faster". What does this mean? It means that someone with a high genetic tendency to get it will get it if they are even 15 LBS overweight. They will have to work that much harder to prevent Type 2 diabetes than someone who needs to be 50 LBS overweight to start the process.

If you have a family history of Type 2 diabetes, you want eat healthy and exercise *before* you develop insulin resistance and *then* gain excess weight. You want to prevent the disorder from occuring early. Many times people don't panic until they are *already* overweight. Your genes may make it easier to develop insulin resistance and store fat, so you want to break that cycle.

How to do that? Diet, for starters. Get rid of all Type 2 diabetes causing foods. People need to break the cycle of eating foods that create inflammation, and encourages insulin resistance and weight gain, which leads directly to Type 2 diabetes. The reason that soda is bad is because it is high in simple (high glycemic) sugars. High Fructose Corn Syrup is now used in soda, and it spikes the blood sugar VERY quickly. These spikes create an unaturally elevated level of high insulin levels, which in turn can lead to insulin resistance, which can lead to weight gain and MORE insulin resistance, which usually leads to Type 2diabetes. Excess sugar is not the only food that starts this chain of events. Trans fats, saturated fats, and other simple carbs are just as bad. Sadly, many of these foods are part of people's daily diets, and it shows in our obesity rates and Type 2 diabetes cases.

Look up the "anti-inflamatory" diet on the web...this will give you a good start.

When I'm having a severe low blood sugar, guess what I use to bring up my BG ASAP? Glucose tabs? Nope. Coke. :) Works fast like a charm! Trust me, I can tell you that you don't want to be drinking that regularily if you have any form of glucose intolerance or Type 2 diabetes in your family...

So to answer your question:

1.) No, sugar does not cause Type 1 (formerly called Juvenile Diabetes) diabetes.

2.) Sugar in and of itself does not directly cause Type 2 diabetes, but it DOES often lead to obesity and insulin resistance, which leads to Type 2 diabetes. People need to know this.

3.) People without a strong or any family history of Type 2 diabetes can probably still develop it with poor lifestyle choices, although generally not as easily. Someone who is 400 LBS and severely obese has a very good chance of developing insulin resisatnce and Type 2 diabetes sheerly due to their size. The human body was not meant to be obese, and excess fat actually alters body chemistry, which can lead directly to Type 2 diabetes.

This would be a direct result of lifestyle and not genetics. Many of these people who are obese and Type 2 diabetics because of poor lifestyle choices can go off medication once they lose the weight. But they really need to change their diet and make the effort.

The human body was not meant to be obese. A good portion of those who are obese *will* eventually develop Type 2 diabetes to some extent. I commonly hear "Well why are ALL fat people not Type 2 diabetics if obesity causes Type 2 diabetes"? Good point. We DO know that obesity is a trigger in most cases. One likely reasoning and theory for this is that obviously some people have genetic *protection* against Type 2 diabetes, not the other way around. That means, most people, even without high risk Type 2 diabetes genes, will develop some form of glucose intolerance if they become severely overweight. Those who don't are the *exception*, not the norm.

[xaphania]

I know I wasn't the one who asked this question, but thanks for that really informative answer! Very good information there :)

[Cassy]

Isn't it interesting how the "old wives tales" sometimes turn out not to be just an old wives tale? The same is often true about some of the folk remedies. Many of them are actually better than what the pharmaceutical companies come up with.

[jukiebird]

I wish I'd researched this sooner... hubby's family on both sides has Type II there... and most are FAT!!!! We're getting there... or are there...

I have MS I liked that analogy... I actuall have MS... looks like Hubby is going to be Type II.

Thanks for all the information in that answer! Very helpful in gaining some insight.

[jhellie_baby]

As far as I had read materials, if you are not a diabetic person, your insulin is enough to lower down your sugar level despite the food that you eat. But when you are already diagnosed with the disease, that is when it is necessary to eat sweet foods in moderation. Sweet foods directly don't cause the disease.

[manojjonam10]

I don't think there is direct connection between them. The most probable reason must be that it stops the efficiency of the body by adding unwanted substances to it.

[Dusty]

The biggest problem with T2 is it affects everybody different. The only way to know what you can and can't eat is TEST, TEST, TEST often! I can eat one slice of white bread and go from 90 up to 160 in just a little while. On the other hand, I can eat a large soft serve ice cream cone and it only raises my BG by about 20 points. No way to know how you will react without testing often.

[Moondance]

My grandmother was always telling me not to drink sodas or eat too much sugary foods because it could cause diabetes. Is this true? I know that since I am already at risk it wouldn't help any but say a person has no genetic history, could it actually cause them to develop diabetes?

I have the same problems with my older family members.

It is almost impossible to get rid of these old wive's tales once they have become the fabric of someone's reality.

[Gladys]

the more I think that Type 2 diabetes is something that COULD be avoided by managing the bodies "stress."

It seems that if the body is to heavy, having to deal with processing too much fat, etc. That contributes to the likelihood.

It seems that eating in such a way that eating irregularly contributes also. I stumbled across a study that showed that non-breakfast-eaters are more likely to get Type 2--what could that be?

Could it be that they aren't hungry in the morning because their sugar doesn't dip?

The more I read, the more confusing it gets.

[Gladys]

But what I do seem to find, it's not the sugar you take in, it's what your body can DO with it that seems to be the issue.

Of course there are people that are borderline and can keep their weight down, eat to level their sugar, and avoid getting worse for a long time. But . . . so far, I haven't read of anyone that staved it off forever once they show symptoms.

So the short answer is . . . it probably doesn't cause you any more risk as long as your weight is optimum and you eat a good diet that keeps your body healthy otherwise.

At least, that seems to be what's gelling in my head after reading all this stuff for a couple of weeks now.

[markamoos]

I have no interest in getting into a debate with anyone here as to whether sodas will lead to diabetes, but. . .
. . .for many years I drank Coca Cola like crazy. Six years ago, when I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the doctor asked me about my diet. When I told him how much soda I drank per day (i.e., a gallon or more), he said to me, "STOP THAT!!" By the way, I have learned to appreciate diet coke and a much heavier intake of water!!:cool2:

[anaklio]

The recent study of Nettleton et al. (2009) showed that diet soda was associated with the development of Type 2 Diabetes.

This does NOT mean that diet soda causes diabetes. It does, however, mean that people who drink diet soda are more likely to have diabetes, and the more they drink the more likely they are to have diabetes.

[anaklio]

Body weight is also a good predictor of having Type 2 Diabetes. However, again, being overweight does NOT cause diabetes. In fact, in the study cited above (Nettleton et al., 2009) showed that diet soda and diabetes were related INDEPENDENT of body weight.

[ellbell]

type 2 diabetes usually develops in people who are sedentary, overweight, and eat unhealthy diet - including too much sugar

[Ammy]

Proper diet usually maintain type 2 diabetes. Metformin medication is used in combination with a proper diet and exercise program.

[j.jones]

Form many articles I have read, it is my understanding that it is not being overweight that causes diabetes. Diabetes starts to develop long before most people are aware of it. There are not always symptoms to make people aware that something is wrong. But as a person begins to get more and more insulin resistant, the pancreas pumps out higher levels of insulin to try to have the same effect that a lower level used to have. High insulin levels cause the body to store weight as fat. So, it's it the chicken or the egg story. People who are insulin resistant (and then become officially diabetic) gain weight more easily than others because they have high levels of insulin in their bloodstream, which causes calories to be stored as fat. Oh, and the insulin also makes a person hungrier...so it becomes a very vicious cycle. The two problems (obesity and diabetes) are very related...but in might not be obesity that actually "causes" diabetes.

Proper diet (low carb) and exercise definitely help diabetes. A low carb diet is great for regulating BS, and exercise helps increase insulin sensitivity. It's the best thing for all of us...even those who don't (yet) have diabetes!