7 ms·

More than 100M Americans have diabetes or prediabetes (2017)

92 points by LinuxBender 6y ago

paulsparkn 6y ago
I’m in Australia we unfortunately mimic the US when it comes to many health ailments - my girlfriend has T1 diabetes. I am offended with the intentionally slow roll when it comes to artificial pancreas solution development... moreso, the regulatory hurdles these products are being held up in. That said, there is a willing hacker community around CGM solutions that can be dove into that yields pretty awesome results in function and hip pocket savings.
- LinuxBender 6y ago
  On the plus side, your country has some great scientists that are making some progress in changing your governments stance on health, albeit very slowly which I think speaks to your point about hurdles. One of my favorite Youtube channels is "Low Carb Down Under" and they often have great scientists speaking on these topics. [1] [1] - https://www.youtube.com/c/lowcarbdownunder/videos https://www.youtube.com/c/lowcarbdownunder/videos
  - paulsparkn 6y ago
    Thx! I’ll definitely sub up to the channel and follow along.
- fortran77 6y ago
  This isn't T1 though they're talking about. It's T2. And 80% of people with T2 diabetes who are also obese and overweight would be asymptomatic if they got themselves down to a proper weight. T1 is a different story.
- x86_64Ubuntu 6y ago
  T1 is "moral diabetes". I'm not sure there is a trend to be seen unless it has to do with the environment surrounding the pregnancy.
  - bem94 6y ago
    What does "moral diabetes" mean?
    - jjeaff 6y ago
      I think probably "moral" in the sense that it's not considered your fault to have type 1 diabetes. Type 2 is brought on by poor diet and exercise so it is the "immoral" version. Though I think the science on what drives hunger cravings and "willpower" and fat storage this leading to obesity is still in its infancy.
hirundo 6y ago
I highly recommend getting a continuous glucose monitor and wearing it for at least a few weeks. I was able to find a model at about $35/week, which required a prescription (US). You can quickly get a good idea about how different foods and exercises affect your blood glucose. For me it was fun and motivating. It's helped a lot to put my diabetes into complete remission. The improvement in my daily quality of life is not subtle. Since an improvement in your insulin levels can easily add healthy years to your life, it's worth doing even if you have no diagnosis of (pre)diabetes.
- disabled 6y ago
  This. If you are in the US, you want a Freestyle Libre 2, which costs what you state, with coupons: $35/week In the European Union, the Freestyle Libre 3 is available and is far better technology than the Freestyle Libre 2, for a variety of reasons. This also does not require a prescription in Europe. Because I cannot get a Freestyle Libre 3 in Croatia, I order the Freestyle Libre 3 from Abbott Diabetes Care in Germany, without a prescription using a German mail forwarding service (I personally use myGermany). You can ship to the USA using this method. The pricing is also regulated by the German government, so the price of the sensor is reasonable. I actually use 2 glucose sensors in tandem: a Freestyle Libre 3 and a Dexcom G6. The Freestyle Libre technology is better than the Dexcom. It is also, way, way, cheaper. While these articles were for older iterations of the Dexcom and Freestyle Libre, they are still very applicable. [1] [2] [3] I use the Dexcom because it connects to my Tandem t:slim x2 insulin pump and it creates an “artificial pancreas”. It automatically manages my blood glucose, with very little effort. I can get a 6.2 or 6.3 A1c with almost no effort, using only the Dexcom G6 sensor (no Freestyle Libre 2|3 sensor use), and I have an profoundly messed up digestive tract, that really should profoundly mess up my blood glucose values. Anyways, the Freestyle Libre updates more frequently (1 minute versus 5 minutes) and responds to changes in blood glucose faster than the Dexcom, so I can take action and dose insulin much faster. With the Freestyle Libre 3, used in tandem with my Tandem t:slim x2 insulin pump using artificial pancreas technology via the Dexcom, my A1c hovers around a 4.9 or 4.8. [1] https://type1tennis.blogspot.com/2014/12/how-much-faster-is-freestyle-libre.html?m=1 https://type1tennis.blogspot.com/2014/12/how-much-faster-is-... [2] https://type1tennis.blogspot.com/2014/12/14-days-with-dexcom-g4-non-ap-and.html?m=1 https://type1tennis.blogspot.com/2014/12/14-days-with-dexcom... [3] https://type1tennis.blogspot.com/2015/02/another-view-of-freestyle-libre-vs.html?m=1 https://type1tennis.blogspot.com/2015/02/another-view-of-fre...
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
bananabiscuit 6y ago
Saw this submission yesterday that got no attention which claims seed oils (specifically Omega-6 fats) are the primary cause of diabetes (and other diseases): https://youtu.be/7kGnfXXIKZM https://youtu.be/7kGnfXXIKZM Don’t know much about this though. Anybody think there’s something to it?
- chrisco255 6y ago
  I think Omega 6 fats contribute to heart disease and may also contribute to diabetes. It is one of the biggest changes in the Western diet over the past 100 years, we now eat 4x as many Omega 6s as Omega 3s and it used to be the exact opposite ratio. I notice when I'm on a keto diet (primarily sat fats and omega 3s), even my stool seems healthier. Many other benefits too.
vmception 6y ago
“Only affects people with pre existing conditions just ignore it”
bgrynol 6y ago
There's a ton of info on the Levels blog about metabolic health and CGM's https://levelshealth.com/blog https://levelshealth.com/blog In Canada, our CGM's are over the counter, which is pretty cool...you can get the Freestyle Libre or Dexcom CGMs right from the pharmacy without a prescription
Sprbdg 6y ago
Biden should do something about insulin pricing...
valuearb 6y ago
328 million Americans have a condition called pre-death.
at_a_remove 6y ago
My A1C is reasonable, despite my rather high carbohydrate intake. Due to a metabolic disorder, I'm supposed to be on a carb-heavy diet, and when I get seriously ill, one of the recommendations is a truly shocking amount of glucose. If anyone should be near diabetes, it should be me. And yet my friends, with more reasonable diets, tend toward diabetes or near it. I'm rather afraid for my friends.
- mjrpes 6y ago
  Recent studies have showed intermittent fasting can be a major factor in insulin/glucose levels: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-sur...
diogenescynic 6y ago
Wow, I better start buying Dexcom.
antisocial 6y ago
I hope to see enough studies to convince people about the effectiveness of intermittent fasting, all natural and no side-effects. https://www.amazon.com/Diabetes-Code-Prevent-Reverse-Naturally-ebook/dp/B0795BLS8D/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GXZ4M0ZEBFJN&dchild=1&keywords=the+diabetes+code+by+jason+fung&qid=1611803250&s=books&sprefix=the+diabetes+solution+kit%2Caps%2C161&sr=1-1 https://www.amazon.com/Diabetes-Code-Prevent-Reverse-Natural...
- 01100011 6y ago
  Intermittent fasting(16/8) was the start of what seem to be blood sugar related issues for me. Ever since I tried it, I get insanely tired after a meal. I had bouts of hypoglycemia as a kid, but that resolved until after trying IF. Now my blood sugar regulation seems wonky. My fatigue is worse since then as well. I've checked my glucose levels when the fatigue hits and they're fine(<120mg/dL). IF didn't have an effect on my weight either.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - tata202008 6y ago
    Same, on almost all counts. Two things helped: add a 1-2 hr (moderately intense, definitely sweating) bike ride at end of fast time, shower, cook, eat SLOWLY. Like slowly enough you could carry on a phone conversation without being rude. Heck, try a phone call quite literally, it’s not like we’re going to HHs nowadays! Limit your fasting coffee intake as well or part of it could be caffeine/sleep crash.
Anand_S 6y ago
How many of these are due to unhealthy American Diets and how many of them can easily be cured by a simple whole foods plant based diet. There are so many reports coming out now that diet (mostly a whole foods plant based diet) can reverse diabetes and that too in a short time. People heal faster when they remove the root cause of the problem. (bad diet) https://nutritionfacts.org/2019/10/08/how-not-to-die-from-diabetes/ https://nutritionfacts.org/2019/10/08/how-not-to-die-from-di... Hard to believe not a single comment about diet (whole food plant based) from hacker news community.
- maria_weber23 6y ago
  Why do you have to diminish your otherwise good comment by advocating for something that is clearly just your own belief? There is nothing special about a whole foods plant based diet, except that it is like infinitely more healthy than the standard American "diet" (or you could also call it "slow and painful way to die"). The problem is that vegan or vegetarian diets will scare away many people for no good reason. Anyway, if you want something that actually works, look at the AIP diet: https://www.thepaleomom.com/ https://www.thepaleomom.com/ But yeah in general I agree. It's pretty amusing how the HN crowd talks about measuring and temporary fixes like "intermittent fasting" but not at all about actually ending the poisoning by food... Yeah sure, you can do all sorts of stuff to prolong your life while stuffing yourself with poison. However the most effective way is still not to eat the god damn poison in the first place. But hey, then there would also be no engineering problem to solve and no products to sell, right?
- TheAnswerMan 6y ago
  Would you consider rice to be "whole food plant based"? Populations that eat rice as a staple tend to get diabetes.
- HeyZuess 6y ago
  There seems to be many reported ways to reduce Diabetes Type 2 issues. Most of them involve the reduction of insulin related foods. Carnivore, Keto, Vegetarian etc (without processed grains), and of course caloric restriction/control via IF. Personally my preferences involve eating meat, and Keto was exception good at reducing my blood sugar, and many other medical issues such as hypertension. I did think about going vegetarian, but it just doesn't suit my situation.
fouc 6y ago
"Prediabetes" is a nice euphemism for being fat that helpfully reminds people directly of the danger of being overweight. You can improve your health/diabetic markers by experimenting with any or all of the following things: 1) Intermittent fasting: reduce your daily period of eating to a 6 or 8 hour window. 16/8 or 18/6. The number of hours without food or sugar or cream or diet pop versus the window of hours that you're allowed to eat during. 2) Water Fasting: Skipping food altogether. For example, a 32 hour fast. Eat dinner, then go the entire next day without food, and then eat breakfast. Regularly doing a 32 hour fast once a week can be incredibly effective. Or do a longer fast once every few months. 3) Low carb (< 20 grams), medium protein, high fat diet. Keto diet. Why do these things help? Adult onset diabetes generally traces back to insulin sensitivity, and too much insulin in the body. Reducing the amount of insulin in your veins, reducing the insulin spikes, etc all help the body recover back to health. Highly recommend checking Dr Jason Fung's youtube videos or book.
- rubicon33 6y ago
  And what about if you're naturally skinny, despite eating whatever you want, whenever you want? Is it all about being fat?
  - glial 6y ago
    Individuals vary. I get my fasting blood glucose and A1c checked regularly, so I have a sense (independent of weight) of diabetes risk.
    - rubicon33 6y ago
      I should probably do the same. It frustrates me to no end that everything is always about weight. Weight I imagine merely a correlating factor, and while certainly bad, isn't the full story. My assumption is that people who eat poorly are somewhere on the insulin resistance spectrum and that includes many negative health impacts, regardless of weight. Curious - do you pay for your blood glucose and A1c checks out of pocket?
  - monopoledance 6y ago
bsav5 6y ago
I also tried www.Nutrisense.io Their marketing needs a lot of work because I stumbled upon on them on a Reddit thread but couldn’t find them anywhere else, but their product was amazing.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
kumarvvr 6y ago
In a nation of processed, canned foods and insane quantities of sugary drinks, is anyone surprised?
bem94 6y ago
In a plea for accuracy, can we be specific about which type of Diabetes we are talking about? They are _very_ different, both in how they are caused and how they are managed.
- jfengel 6y ago
  The number refers to both, but type 2 is the overwhelming majority of them (and 100% of the prediabetes, which is the by far most of that 100M). Type 2 is the one that can be prevented (in most cases) by diet and exercise. This article is warning that we're failing at that, by very large amounts. Type 1 is still a large problem, but a small fraction of this problem, about 1%. You could exclude them from this number without substantially altering it.

92 points by LinuxBender 6y ago

I’m in Australia we unfortunately mimic the US when it comes to many health ailments - my girlfriend has T1 diabetes. I am offended with the intentionally slow roll when it comes to artificial pancreas solution development... moreso, the regulatory hurdles these products are being held up in. That said, there is a willing hacker community around CGM solutions that can be dove into that yields pretty awesome results in function and hip pocket savings.

LinuxBender 6y ago
On the plus side, your country has some great scientists that are making some progress in changing your governments stance on health, albeit very slowly which I think speaks to your point about hurdles. One of my favorite Youtube channels is "Low Carb Down Under" and they often have great scientists speaking on these topics. [1] [1] - https://www.youtube.com/c/lowcarbdownunder/videos https://www.youtube.com/c/lowcarbdownunder/videos
- paulsparkn 6y ago
  Thx! I’ll definitely sub up to the channel and follow along.
fortran77 6y ago
This isn't T1 though they're talking about. It's T2. And 80% of people with T2 diabetes who are also obese and overweight would be asymptomatic if they got themselves down to a proper weight. T1 is a different story.
x86_64Ubuntu 6y ago
T1 is "moral diabetes". I'm not sure there is a trend to be seen unless it has to do with the environment surrounding the pregnancy.
- bem94 6y ago
  What does "moral diabetes" mean?
  - jjeaff 6y ago
    I think probably "moral" in the sense that it's not considered your fault to have type 1 diabetes. Type 2 is brought on by poor diet and exercise so it is the "immoral" version. Though I think the science on what drives hunger cravings and "willpower" and fat storage this leading to obesity is still in its infancy.

hirundo 6y ago

I highly recommend getting a continuous glucose monitor and wearing it for at least a few weeks. I was able to find a model at about $35/week, which required a prescription (US). You can quickly get a good idea about how different foods and exercises affect your blood glucose. For me it was fun and motivating. It's helped a lot to put my diabetes into complete remission. The improvement in my daily quality of life is not subtle. Since an improvement in your insulin levels can easily add healthy years to your life, it's worth doing even if you have no diagnosis of (pre)diabetes.

disabled 6y ago
This. If you are in the US, you want a Freestyle Libre 2, which costs what you state, with coupons: $35/week In the European Union, the Freestyle Libre 3 is available and is far better technology than the Freestyle Libre 2, for a variety of reasons. This also does not require a prescription in Europe. Because I cannot get a Freestyle Libre 3 in Croatia, I order the Freestyle Libre 3 from Abbott Diabetes Care in Germany, without a prescription using a German mail forwarding service (I personally use myGermany). You can ship to the USA using this method. The pricing is also regulated by the German government, so the price of the sensor is reasonable. I actually use 2 glucose sensors in tandem: a Freestyle Libre 3 and a Dexcom G6. The Freestyle Libre technology is better than the Dexcom. It is also, way, way, cheaper. While these articles were for older iterations of the Dexcom and Freestyle Libre, they are still very applicable. [1] [2] [3] I use the Dexcom because it connects to my Tandem t:slim x2 insulin pump and it creates an “artificial pancreas”. It automatically manages my blood glucose, with very little effort. I can get a 6.2 or 6.3 A1c with almost no effort, using only the Dexcom G6 sensor (no Freestyle Libre 2|3 sensor use), and I have an profoundly messed up digestive tract, that really should profoundly mess up my blood glucose values. Anyways, the Freestyle Libre updates more frequently (1 minute versus 5 minutes) and responds to changes in blood glucose faster than the Dexcom, so I can take action and dose insulin much faster. With the Freestyle Libre 3, used in tandem with my Tandem t:slim x2 insulin pump using artificial pancreas technology via the Dexcom, my A1c hovers around a 4.9 or 4.8. [1] https://type1tennis.blogspot.com/2014/12/how-much-faster-is-freestyle-libre.html?m=1 https://type1tennis.blogspot.com/2014/12/how-much-faster-is-... [2] https://type1tennis.blogspot.com/2014/12/14-days-with-dexcom-g4-non-ap-and.html?m=1 https://type1tennis.blogspot.com/2014/12/14-days-with-dexcom... [3] https://type1tennis.blogspot.com/2015/02/another-view-of-freestyle-libre-vs.html?m=1 https://type1tennis.blogspot.com/2015/02/another-view-of-fre...

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

bananabiscuit 6y ago

Saw this submission yesterday that got no attention which claims seed oils (specifically Omega-6 fats) are the primary cause of diabetes (and other diseases): https://youtu.be/7kGnfXXIKZM https://youtu.be/7kGnfXXIKZM Don’t know much about this though. Anybody think there’s something to it?

chrisco255 6y ago
I think Omega 6 fats contribute to heart disease and may also contribute to diabetes. It is one of the biggest changes in the Western diet over the past 100 years, we now eat 4x as many Omega 6s as Omega 3s and it used to be the exact opposite ratio. I notice when I'm on a keto diet (primarily sat fats and omega 3s), even my stool seems healthier. Many other benefits too.

vmception 6y ago

“Only affects people with pre existing conditions just ignore it”

bgrynol 6y ago

There's a ton of info on the Levels blog about metabolic health and CGM's https://levelshealth.com/blog https://levelshealth.com/blog In Canada, our CGM's are over the counter, which is pretty cool...you can get the Freestyle Libre or Dexcom CGMs right from the pharmacy without a prescription

Sprbdg 6y ago

Biden should do something about insulin pricing...

valuearb 6y ago

328 million Americans have a condition called pre-death.

at_a_remove 6y ago

My A1C is reasonable, despite my rather high carbohydrate intake. Due to a metabolic disorder, I'm supposed to be on a carb-heavy diet, and when I get seriously ill, one of the recommendations is a truly shocking amount of glucose. If anyone should be near diabetes, it should be me. And yet my friends, with more reasonable diets, tend toward diabetes or near it. I'm rather afraid for my friends.

mjrpes 6y ago
Recent studies have showed intermittent fasting can be a major factor in insulin/glucose levels: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-sur...

diogenescynic 6y ago

Wow, I better start buying Dexcom.

antisocial 6y ago

I hope to see enough studies to convince people about the effectiveness of intermittent fasting, all natural and no side-effects. https://www.amazon.com/Diabetes-Code-Prevent-Reverse-Naturally-ebook/dp/B0795BLS8D/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GXZ4M0ZEBFJN&dchild=1&keywords=the+diabetes+code+by+jason+fung&qid=1611803250&s=books&sprefix=the+diabetes+solution+kit%2Caps%2C161&sr=1-1 https://www.amazon.com/Diabetes-Code-Prevent-Reverse-Natural...

01100011 6y ago
Intermittent fasting(16/8) was the start of what seem to be blood sugar related issues for me. Ever since I tried it, I get insanely tired after a meal. I had bouts of hypoglycemia as a kid, but that resolved until after trying IF. Now my blood sugar regulation seems wonky. My fatigue is worse since then as well. I've checked my glucose levels when the fatigue hits and they're fine(<120mg/dL). IF didn't have an effect on my weight either.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- tata202008 6y ago
  Same, on almost all counts. Two things helped: add a 1-2 hr (moderately intense, definitely sweating) bike ride at end of fast time, shower, cook, eat SLOWLY. Like slowly enough you could carry on a phone conversation without being rude. Heck, try a phone call quite literally, it’s not like we’re going to HHs nowadays! Limit your fasting coffee intake as well or part of it could be caffeine/sleep crash.

Anand_S 6y ago

How many of these are due to unhealthy American Diets and how many of them can easily be cured by a simple whole foods plant based diet. There are so many reports coming out now that diet (mostly a whole foods plant based diet) can reverse diabetes and that too in a short time. People heal faster when they remove the root cause of the problem. (bad diet) https://nutritionfacts.org/2019/10/08/how-not-to-die-from-diabetes/ https://nutritionfacts.org/2019/10/08/how-not-to-die-from-di... Hard to believe not a single comment about diet (whole food plant based) from hacker news community.

maria_weber23 6y ago
Why do you have to diminish your otherwise good comment by advocating for something that is clearly just your own belief? There is nothing special about a whole foods plant based diet, except that it is like infinitely more healthy than the standard American "diet" (or you could also call it "slow and painful way to die"). The problem is that vegan or vegetarian diets will scare away many people for no good reason. Anyway, if you want something that actually works, look at the AIP diet: https://www.thepaleomom.com/ https://www.thepaleomom.com/ But yeah in general I agree. It's pretty amusing how the HN crowd talks about measuring and temporary fixes like "intermittent fasting" but not at all about actually ending the poisoning by food... Yeah sure, you can do all sorts of stuff to prolong your life while stuffing yourself with poison. However the most effective way is still not to eat the god damn poison in the first place. But hey, then there would also be no engineering problem to solve and no products to sell, right?
TheAnswerMan 6y ago
Would you consider rice to be "whole food plant based"? Populations that eat rice as a staple tend to get diabetes.
HeyZuess 6y ago
There seems to be many reported ways to reduce Diabetes Type 2 issues. Most of them involve the reduction of insulin related foods. Carnivore, Keto, Vegetarian etc (without processed grains), and of course caloric restriction/control via IF. Personally my preferences involve eating meat, and Keto was exception good at reducing my blood sugar, and many other medical issues such as hypertension. I did think about going vegetarian, but it just doesn't suit my situation.

fouc 6y ago

"Prediabetes" is a nice euphemism for being fat that helpfully reminds people directly of the danger of being overweight. You can improve your health/diabetic markers by experimenting with any or all of the following things: 1) Intermittent fasting: reduce your daily period of eating to a 6 or 8 hour window. 16/8 or 18/6. The number of hours without food or sugar or cream or diet pop versus the window of hours that you're allowed to eat during. 2) Water Fasting: Skipping food altogether. For example, a 32 hour fast. Eat dinner, then go the entire next day without food, and then eat breakfast. Regularly doing a 32 hour fast once a week can be incredibly effective. Or do a longer fast once every few months. 3) Low carb (< 20 grams), medium protein, high fat diet. Keto diet. Why do these things help? Adult onset diabetes generally traces back to insulin sensitivity, and too much insulin in the body. Reducing the amount of insulin in your veins, reducing the insulin spikes, etc all help the body recover back to health. Highly recommend checking Dr Jason Fung's youtube videos or book.

rubicon33 6y ago
And what about if you're naturally skinny, despite eating whatever you want, whenever you want? Is it all about being fat?
- glial 6y ago
  Individuals vary. I get my fasting blood glucose and A1c checked regularly, so I have a sense (independent of weight) of diabetes risk.
  - rubicon33 6y ago
    I should probably do the same. It frustrates me to no end that everything is always about weight. Weight I imagine merely a correlating factor, and while certainly bad, isn't the full story. My assumption is that people who eat poorly are somewhere on the insulin resistance spectrum and that includes many negative health impacts, regardless of weight. Curious - do you pay for your blood glucose and A1c checks out of pocket?
- monopoledance 6y ago

bsav5 6y ago

I also tried www.Nutrisense.io Their marketing needs a lot of work because I stumbled upon on them on a Reddit thread but couldn’t find them anywhere else, but their product was amazing.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

kumarvvr 6y ago

In a nation of processed, canned foods and insane quantities of sugary drinks, is anyone surprised?

bem94 6y ago

In a plea for accuracy, can we be specific about which type of Diabetes we are talking about? They are _very_ different, both in how they are caused and how they are managed.

jfengel 6y ago
The number refers to both, but type 2 is the overwhelming majority of them (and 100% of the prediabetes, which is the by far most of that 100M). Type 2 is the one that can be prevented (in most cases) by diet and exercise. This article is warning that we're failing at that, by very large amounts. Type 1 is still a large problem, but a small fraction of this problem, about 1%. You could exclude them from this number without substantially altering it.