Genetics?

(jennifersmatthews) #1

I know spiking insulin all day is bad for anyone but why don’t all people develop diabetes or metabolic syndrome? I have a couple family members that are thin, healthy and have eaten crap their entire lives. Even people that are big, like myself. I was large but “perfectly healthy”.

(G. Andrew Duthie) #2

Unless they’ve had blood work done that supports the assertion that they’re “healthy” I wouldn’t assume that’s the case. Some folks eat crap, don’t gain a lot of weight, but are still metabolically deranged. In some ways, those folks are potentially worse off because they don’t have obvious outward signs of damage, but they may still be silently building up atherosclerosis, feeding cancer, or doing other damage to their bodies through constant glucose and insulin elevation.

In terms of why some of us get fat, while others don’t, I’m not sure that science has a good answer yet. But outward appearances don’t tell the whole story.

(Karen Parrott) #3

Yes! I was obese from age 4-46 in a family of mostly “normies” and oh boy is the hate on obese really intense when you are surrounded by normal folks via genetics. They are big Calories in Calories out because it does work for them.

It turns out that there are FTO genes in both sides of my family, but not always expressed. FTO is gene associated with obesity and T2D. Both are on the same genes and I had 2.76 higher chance to be obese as a child. I was obese and overweight on and off ages 6-46.

I narrowly escaped T2D DX. As my family members age, more of their FTO genes come out to play in a few family members.

So stop comparing yourself to any of the normie family members- YES, they would be better off and just focus on yourself and when they are sick and hurting, they may start to want to make changes. It’s hard, I know how hard it is to watch. Eyes on your own food template.

I often ask how their fasting and 2 hour post glucose readings are. They have no clue, of course and I ofter to take them through the start up (I’m a Medical Laboratory Technologist in real life, so Point of Care testing is in my wheel house)

90% of all the kids who made fun of me in grade school are now asking me for advice. It’s an interesting, ironic twist, but I don’t take joy in their pain and illness, that is for sure. Many have had heart attacks or major illnesses by the age of 50. Of course drinking and smoking are also factors.

Keep calm while swimming in our high risk gene pool and toss em’ a Keto life saver from time to time. LOL. Carry on! :wink:

(Jacquie) #4

I’ll second what @devhammer is saying and add…I’ve always been pretty thin (at most, 10-15lbs overweight years ago), worked out regularly, eaten lc since the mid 90’s, went from Whole30 to keto, started testing FBG and BG and guess what? I’m prediabetic. No symptoms whatsoever! I’m now keto for life. :slight_smile:

#5

This question is where @erdoke may be able to do some explaining.

(Gabor Erdosi) #6

There certainly is a genetic component, just think of how some races are much more susceptible to obesity and metabolic diseases. Then there is huge epigenetic influence, so the problem exacerbates from generation to generation if the environmental trigger persists.
The most important difference between people developing obesity or not prior to becoming diabetic or dying from cardiovascular disease lies in their fat cells. Adipose tissue can react differently to the same environmental influences, not to mention that seemingly identical triggers may be very different when all lifestyle and diet details are considered.
Healthynfat cells without epigenetic predisposition normally protect you from both excessive weight gain and from developing diabetes. However, if the environmental influence is very strong, and most likely bends to a certain direction, the body chooses to become excessively fat vs. becoming diabetic. This choice is not open for everybody though, some lack proper fat development during childhood and therefore are unable to endlessly add new, insulin sensitive fat cells. In fact, some folks have very limited capacity to do that and quickly become diabetic without adding very significant amounts of fat mass.

(G. Andrew Duthie) #8

I was hoping you’d weigh in. Thanks for expanding on the genetic/epigenetic components.

(Marshelle) #9

(Long post alert)!!!
LORD knows I don’t want to get censored or worse, kicked off this forum but I am COMPLETELY AMAZED at the number of people here that are non-black. I thought diabetes predominately affected black people. As a result of what I have seen here, I researched the data and we (blacks) are disproportionately affected. Sadly, I do not believe our community hears of the wonderful, life-changing effect of a ketogenic diet.
How can we change what is being taught as a result of the results I see here?
#iamnondiabetic
#nofamilyhistory
#iwanttobeachangeagent
#noharmorracialbiasmeant

(Larry Lustig) #10

The toll that diabetes takes in the black community is truly terrible (although I think the native American community fares even worse). But the disease is rampant among almost all American subpopulations. Plus, many of the people here are not diabetic. Some are trying to ward off Ill health, some just trying to lose weight and some are super healthy and trying to “optimize” nutrition.

Also, I don’t think anyone’s ever been banned from this group, but not sure why you’d worry that your post would offend anyone?

#11

Yes, we all face an uphill battle when it comes to spreading information about keto and diabetes. The way most of us do it is by trying to influence those who are closest to us, and on Facebook and other social media. Unfortunately, there is such a huge amount of bad information out there from official sources, like doctors and the ADA, that it’s hard to convince people to give it a try.

(Todd Allen) #12

Just idle speculation, but perhaps it isn’t that blacks or native Americans are more affected by diabetes but rather that some populations such as Europeans have historically had more exposure to the triggers of diabetes - refined carbohydrates? - and in combination with population thinning stress events such as the plagues are now somewhat more resistant?

If so, we might expect that given enough time and the ever increasing super sizing of fries and big gulps all of humanity will become blessed with super human capacity to resist the ravages of nutrition free carbohydrates.

#13

I’m not saying I agree or disagree with this, but in Deep Nutrition, Dr. Cate Shanahan suggests that the epigenetic effects of being exposed to the ravages of carbohydrates and inflammatory vegetable oils is leading to earlier and earlier onset of disease and she foresees an Omega Generation for families where they are too sick to reproduce and that family dies out. Anecdotally she mentions a family where the great grandmother was healthy and vibrant and her great grandchild was already afflicted modern diseases.

(Todd Allen) #14

… too sick to reproduce and the family dies out.

That’s the beauty of evolution. It’s like breeding antibiotic resistant bacteria. The antibiotics kill all that they can and all that is left are the resistant survivors. Of course for the process to work there needs to be some survivors, and hopefully our ability to produce ever cheaper HFCS and refined vegetable oils won’t exceed our capacity to produce survivors.

(Marshelle) #15

I certainly see the information AGAINST the ketogenic diet and although my family is not impacted by diabetes, I know so many who are and could use the powerful tool of eating keto. I’m loving it!

(Marshelle) #16

Too bad it doesn’t appear that “all of humanity” is going to brake before crashing!