> If Diamond et.al. are correct then we are doing ourselves a great > disservice. > We are specializing in a way that generally becomes dangerous for a species. > It is possible to become ~too~ adapted. Shouldn't't the word be spread in > these cultures that the lifestyle they are shifting to causes type 2? We can > avoid the adaption, and retain the very useful thrifty gene >
Well, I was diagnosed a year and a half ago with Type 2 Diabetes, and I can well and truly attribute it to stupidity. My doctor had been warning me for years to lose weight, and if I had begun to do so when he started warning me, I probably would not be a diabetic today. However, even someone as stupid as me can learn, and I have since joined Weight Watchers and exercise frequently, and have dropped 30 pounds and my blood sugar is in the normal range (high end of the normal range, but still within the desired limits; thanks also to the medication I take every day). I have my eyes and heart checked regularly and so far, no signs of diabetes-related complications. Diabetes is a progressive disease, however, so there is no guarantee that I will not someday suffer complications and/or have to start taking insulin. Still, the longer I can put that off, the better. Also, they may someday discover a cure or at least a better treatment. Type 2 diabetes is, to some extent, avoidable. Excess abdominal fat seems to interfere with insulin usage by the cells. Most Type 2 diabetics, especially if and when diagnosed early on, are still producing plenty of insulin (in fact, some may be producing too much, leading to a later burning out of the pancreas), it just isn't working effectively. Losing weight - especially shedding abdominal fat - decreases this so-called "insulin resistance". Regular exercise, in addition to contributing to weight loss, also increases the effectiveness of whatever insulin one is still producing. The key, of course, is catching it early - and then doing what needs to be done. To that extent, some people in the USA are literally eating themselves to death. But it doesn't have to be that way. Not that I'm any paragon, but I've lost weight and increased my activity, and I'm keeping the weight off. If I can do it, believe me, almost anyone can do it. Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org "I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last." - Dr Jerry Pournelle _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
