Q: Can I get type 2 diabetes if I am 100 lbs overwieght even if there is no history of it in my family? someone told me that i dont have to worry about it cause no one in my family has had it.
A: Hi LK Don't believe them, because you can. There are a few factors to consider such as age, ethnic background, diet etc, but the pancreas does not produce infinite amounts of insulin, so the bigger the body the less insulin there is to deal with the glucose in the blood. (Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps the glucose move from the blood to the body cells and muscles, to be used for energy.) There is also a thing called insulin resistance that is when the insulin produced is not being used correctly by the body and is not converting the glucose into energy efficiently and you get a build up of it in the blood. Being overweight considerably increases your chances of getting it. There are nasty consequences such as blindness due to diabetic retinopathy caused by poor blood circulation to the blood vessels in the eyes, a very real chance of amputation of toes, feet or legs, problems with the heart and/or kidneys all because of poor blood circulation. Do not be fooled into thinking that type 2 is a mild form of diabetes it is not. If type 2 is not manged properly then all these things can become reality. My wife became ill; lost her mobility and gained a lot of weight she now has type 2. A neighbor who was on a poor diet piled on the pounds also contracted it. I wont apologize for scaring you these are facts and are easily researched on the net. There are certain signs to look out for if you should ever suspect that you have it such as: tiredness, blurred vision, constant thirst, peeing a lot and itchy genitals. If you ever get these signs, especially all together, then visit your doc for a blood test immediately. I hope this has been informative and I hope it gives you food for thought about dropping a few pounds for the sake of your health and wellbeing. I have packed on a few pounds since I gave up work plastering to care for my wife, but I now follow the same eating plan as her and I'm slowly beginning to lose, if I can do it I'm sure that you can too. Good luck LK.