# It's not just the fat who get type 2 diabetes. Steve Redgrave got it - from his genes



## Northerner (Oct 1, 2013)

When rower Sir Steve Redgrave won his fifth Olympic gold medal in Sydney he had a secret stash on-board with him. 

Sellotaped to the inside of his boat were some sachets of sugar.

This wasn't just in case he got hungry. It was there if his blood sugar dropped too low. For just three years earlier, in 1997, Steve, who at the time was an impressive 6ft 5in and 16st, was told he had type 2 diabetes.

'I suddenly thought, ?What if something happens out there? - sugar was the only thing I could grab quickly,' he recalls.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2439542/Steve-Redgrave-got-type-2-diabetes-genes.html


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## Pumper_Sue (Oct 1, 2013)

Northerner said:


> When rower Sir Steve Redgrave won his fifth Olympic gold medal in Sydney he had a secret stash on-board with him.
> 
> Sellotaped to the inside of his boat were some sachets of sugar.
> 
> ...



As he's type 2 and has a pump, the old saying of it's who you are that counts, is obviously very true


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## Northerner (Oct 1, 2013)

Pumper_Sue said:


> As he's type 2 and has a pump, the old saying of it's who you are that counts, is obviously very true



I was surprised it says that he's only had the pump for 6 years, I always thought he'd needed it more or less from the start so he could do his training for Sydney. Shame about his friend, doesn't sound as though he was very well supported if he felt he needed to hide the problem with his foot until it was too late  Typical DF line abut his level of 32 being 'over 3 times normal' - er, how about 6 times normal?


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## Pumper_Sue (Oct 1, 2013)

Northerner said:


> I was surprised it says that he's only had the pump for 6 years, I always thought he'd needed it more or less from the start so he could do his training for Sydney. Shame about his friend, doesn't sound as though he was very well supported if he felt he needed to hide the problem with his foot until it was too late  Typical DF line abut his level of 32 being 'over 3 times normal' - er, how about 6 times normal?



I did scratch my head over 32 being 3x over normal.  I also thought he had the pump from day one.
Still not fair he has a pump and non famous type 2's who would benefit can't have one.
Mind you now we know he is def type 2 perhaps type 2's who would like to benefit from a pump should show the article to their consultants


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## Northerner (Oct 1, 2013)

Pumper_Sue said:


> I did scratch my head over 32 being 3x over normal.  I also thought he had the pump from day one.
> Still not fair he has a pump and non famous type 2's who would benefit can't have one.
> Mind you now we know he is def type 2 perhaps type 2's who would like to benefit from a pump should show the article to their consultants



Yes, he's always been a bit coy about his type in the past, hasn't he? A bit like Halle Berry  I imagine he's self-funding the pump. I believe he sought advice from the guy who runs the runsweet website.


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## Redkite (Oct 1, 2013)

He could well be self-funding.  There is no way he could have trained and performed to the level he needed to without a pump.  My son did a school project about Steve Redgrave's diet and exercise regime when training - he ate an average 6500 calories a day, mostly carbs!  Split into meals and snacks.


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## HOBIE (Oct 1, 2013)

I allways thought he was T1


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## Donald (Oct 1, 2013)

Hmm on this site he is type 1

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...ZUg_APrmCwUE_KL5cUDrqaw&bvm=bv.53371865,d.d2k

But here it says type 2

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...VDkJfNmkk4PsU9K2KGDlu-g&bvm=bv.53371865,d.d2k


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## HOBIE (Oct 1, 2013)

Is it "Media" getting it upside down again


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## Naty (Oct 1, 2013)

Northerner said:


> Yes, he's always been a bit coy about his type in the past, hasn't he? A bit like Halle Berry  I imagine he's self-funding the pump. I believe he sought advice from the guy who runs the runsweet website.



Halle Berry is diabetic?


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## Northerner (Oct 1, 2013)

Naty said:


> Halle Berry is diabetic?



Yes. She famously 'weaned herself off insulin' though:

http://www.diabetesmine.com/2013/04/revisiting-the-great-halle-berry-diabetes-ruckus.html


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## Naty (Oct 1, 2013)

Northerner said:


> Yes. She famously 'weaned herself off insulin' though:
> 
> http://www.diabetesmine.com/2013/04/revisiting-the-great-halle-berry-diabetes-ruckus.html



Oh - I'm disappointed reading that story though


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## HelenM (Oct 2, 2013)

> He could well be self-funding. There is no way he could have trained and performed to the level he needed to without a pump. My son did a school project about Steve Redgrave's diet and exercise regime when training - he ate an average 6500 calories a day, mostly carbs! Split into meals and snacks


He could well be self funding now but when he was in training he was using lispro (Humalog)  and  Humulin I (Isophane ).



> The use of a continuous subcutaneous
> insulin infusion pump was considered because it enables infusion
> rates to be adjusted rapidly to meet requirements. This
> seemed to offer potentially near-physiological insulin replacement,
> ...



Olympic diabetes
Ian W Gallen, Ann Redgrave and Steven Redgrave
http://rcpjournal.org/content/3/4/333.full.pdf+html


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## Northerner (Oct 2, 2013)

Thanks Helen!


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