# Incensed!



## Admin (Feb 24, 2009)

Hi I take most things that are said about diabetes with a pinch of salt - but I have been listening to Radio 1 all day and their top news story is about the rise in type 2 diabetes (a 73% rise) due to a pres release by Diabetes UK. Anyway - in their report they defined the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 - great I thought - as I know there is so much ignorance about the difference - but do you know what their definition for Type 1 was - it is inherited. 
Honestly - I have been spitting feathers and even emailed the news team there! This is such bad, bad reporting.

Anyway - apart from that great news that the story is out there - 
Glad to see you are all doing well - am keeping an eye on you all and reading every day!! 
Just not getting chance to post as often as I would like. I really am loving everyone's participation and so pleased we have created a great inclusive community.


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## Northerner (Feb 24, 2009)

There is so much bad science reporting out there, it really is very unhelpful. It's no wonder that there is confusion in the general public - surely it's just as easy to get the facts right? And I know they're trying to get the general message out that being overweight and lazy can lead to bad things in as short a soundbite as possible, but continually using the word 'diabetes' alongside the word 'obesity' means only one perception sinks in.

Anyone interested in how bad and often manipulative science reporting is should check out Ben Goldacre's Bad Science column in the Guardian, or read his website at http://www.badscience.net/ 

And you're right, Admin, this *is* a terrific community - thanks for making it possible!


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## akdcolchester (Feb 24, 2009)

Do we have a  journalist member who could be our press officer ? We might then have an official (or semi-official) voice in such matters. Collectively we know more about the subject than any other group in existence and could feed accurate information to the world at large. What do you think ?


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## Caroline (Feb 24, 2009)

There was a piece in my Metro this morning which sai there is a link between obesity and diabetes.

If I didn't know better I'd say all the fat people in the world were diabetic. 

It strikes me that if you smoke the NHS is willing to help you quit, but if you're fat, overweight, obese or just plain podgy no one realy cares. Any one important from the NHS here? Help us lose weight and stop being diabetic.

OK rant over...


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## Lizzie (Feb 24, 2009)

Northerner said:


> I know they're trying to get the general message out that being overweight and lazy can lead to bad things in as short a soundbite as possible



I am sorry Northerner, I think it is wrong to label anyone as "lazy". If a person is fat and leads a sedentary lifestyle they should be given support and encouragement to become more active and find a diet and form of exercise they enjoy, not labelled as lazy and blamed for any medical condition they develop. Losing weight and changing your diet and activity level is a difficult thing to do and requires determination to stick at it. People are unlikely to have that determination, and their efforts are unlikely to last, if they are doing it under sufferance. Labels like this don't help. Most people don't gain weight because they are "lazy" or bad people. They gain it for any number of reasons but blame is not likely to help them, and that is why I find change4life so offensive.

There are adverts for NHS stop smoking services which stress the friendly nature of the help you can get. Some also use scare tactics, showing ill people, clogged arteries etc, but they do seem to be using more of a two-pronged approach, using the carrot as well as the stick to get people to stop smoking. Why can't they do the same for fat people? Why is the tone of the message so different? Why are there no NHS support services for people who want to eat more healthily or become more active? Or, if these services exist, why are they not advertised? It seems to be all private companies like Weight Watchers whose emphasis is on weight loss rather than on being more healthy.


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## sofaraway (Feb 24, 2009)

I guess the problem is that 80% of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are overweight and it's the biggest risk factor. Sure there are others, but theres not alot you can do about your family history, or your body shape or your age. But weight is something that people can modify. 

I haven't heard the explanation of type 1 being inherited, i think you were right to email to try and inform there, will be interested to hear any response. I wonder if people who have other conditions come up against the same things, eg. epilepsy, whenever there are reports in the news or characters on tv they talk on their forums about the inaccuracies of reporting/portayal.


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## Northerner (Feb 24, 2009)

Lizzie said:


> I am sorry Northerner, I think it is wrong to label anyone as "lazy". If a person is fat and leads a sedentary lifestyle they should be given support and encouragement to become more active and find a diet and form of exercise they enjoy, not labelled as lazy and blamed for any medical condition they develop. Losing weight and changing your diet and activity level is a difficult thing to do and requires determination to stick at it. People are unlikely to have that determination, and their efforts are unlikely to last, if they are doing it under sufferance. Labels like this don't help. Most people don't gain weight because they are "lazy" or bad people. They gain it for any number of reasons but blame is not likely to help them, and that is why I find change4life so offensive.



Hi Lizzie, do forgive me please, I worded things badly. What I was trying to say was that the message being put out is that people are being too lazy,so that is becoming part of the stigma - that you get diabetes because you're fat and because you're lazy. I don't agree with that message because it's too simplistic and unhelpful.  Hope I haven't just dug a deeper hole!


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## Caroline (Feb 24, 2009)

I have always been rtaher on the big side, not to put too fine a point on it I'm fat. 

I tired weight watchers as an adult but they didn't adress the emotional issues around being so big.

My GP sent me to the detician when I asked for help. APart from getting the same mixed messages I get from the press/media I didn't get any emotional help.

I know WHY I reach for cetain foods, I just need a supportive shoulder to cry on sometimes and not someone who will offer me more comfort food. I wonder if those of us who want to lose weight can sue the NHS for discrimination?


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## Lizzie (Feb 24, 2009)

Northerner said:


> Hi Lizzie, do forgive me please, I worded things badly. What I was trying to say was that the message being put out is that people are being too lazy,so that is becoming part of the stigma - that you get diabetes because you're fat and because you're lazy. I don't agree with that message because it's too simplistic and unhelpful.  Hope I haven't just dug a deeper hole!



Thats OK Northerner. I feel quite strongly about the way fat people are treated at the moment. I am sure you don't share the negative views of fat people held by the government and media.


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## bev (Feb 24, 2009)

Good post!

When Alex was diagnosed we were told it was a genetic problem inherited from a family member. There was no-one we knew in our families to suggest a link - until we found out his great great great grandmother had died aged 30 very underweight and had gone blind - this was in 1902 ish - so we suspect it was diabetes she had. I really did think there was a genetic link? Are you saying there isnt?

On the subject of the NHS helping fat people to lose weight - they are - a distant member of my family is a young man aged 27 who is obese and his doctor gave him a 'voucher' to go and use the local gym for free for 6 months - he never went and is getting larger. I dont know what the aswer is about helping him anymore as he doesnt seem motivated enough to even try to go to the gym.
Bev


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## Lizzie (Feb 24, 2009)

bev said:


> Good post!
> 
> When Alex was diagnosed we were told it was a genetic problem inherited from a family member. There was no-one we knew in our families to suggest a link - until we found out his great great great grandmother had died aged 30 very underweight and had gone blind - this was in 1902 ish - so we suspect it was diabetes she had. I really did think there was a genetic link? Are you saying there isnt?
> 
> ...




I think there is a genetic link to type 1, my dad had it and so do I.

Maybe for some people a gym voucher would help and maybe they also provide a supportive person who your relative can see regularly to chart his progress and motivate him to keep going. But just handing over a bit of paper doesn't sound enough to me. In the stop smoking ads I mentioned, they say you can attend group meetings and help each other to quit - that is the kind of thing I meant. Any lifestyle change if sustained long term requires this kind of support but it seems to be lacking for fat people. We seem to be expected to be able to motivate ourselves.

Also, maybe the gym is not a form of exercise he enjoys. Did the doctor bother to discuss with this man what he likes doing and try to find a form of exercise he might like and be motivated to do? Or did they just hand out a gym voucher and move onto the next patient? I personally hate most gyms. I find them very intimidating with the loud music and flashing video screens and the bouncy, toned staff. The only one I have found which is a remotely friendly environment for fat people is Curves. But unfortunately I can't afford to go and my doctor doesn't provide gyms on prescription, if they did it would probably be the tatty local council facilities.


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## Copepod (Feb 24, 2009)

*exercise on prescription and health walks schemes*

Several NHS areas have "Exercise on prescription" schemes, and many GPs suggest less-than-fit and/or more-than-ideal-weight people try walking. Walking for Health website is searchable for guided walks in England only - see http://www.whi.org.uk/
For Scotland, see http://www.pathsforall.org.uk/pathstohealth/ or http://www.csft.org.uk/health_and_exercise/health_walks for Central Scotland Forest walk maps & guides
For Wales, Let's Walk Cymru see http://www.ww2h.org.uk/
For Northern Ireland, try http://www.getalifegetactive.com/ Searchable by council area on http://www.getalifegetactive.com/whatsHappeninginNI.asp


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## Lizzie (Feb 24, 2009)

Copepod said:


> Several NHS areas have "Exercise on prescription" schemes, and many GPs suggest less-than-fit and/or more-than-ideal-weight people try walking. Walking for Health website is searchable for guided walks in England only - see http://www.whi.org.uk/
> For Scotland, see http://www.pathsforall.org.uk/pathstohealth/ or http://www.csft.org.uk/health_and_exercise/health_walks for Central Scotland Forest walk maps & guides
> For Wales, Let's Walk Cymru see http://www.ww2h.org.uk/
> For Northern Ireland, try http://www.getalifegetactive.com/ Searchable by council area on http://www.getalifegetactive.com/whatsHappeninginNI.asp



Those things are all great. But my point still stands - there are no support services for fat people. Fat people are just expected to suddenly start going to the gym and eating well, all on our own. That is hard if you have not eaten healthily or exercised for a while. If you are quitting smoking you can meet with other quitters in NHS funded schemes. If you want to lose weight, there are only paid-for schemes like Weight Watchers.


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## bev (Feb 24, 2009)

Hi Lizzie,

Please dont take me wrong - i wasnt in any way being 'judgemental' about all fat people being lazy/ and or not motivated. I am not skinny myself - my weight fluctuates a lot - but i do go to the gym and go on the tread machine - yes its boring but i wear headphones and choose my own entertainment - and i go in the swimming pool - but i have to say that NEVER have i felt intimidated by anyone there - most people have the same goal in site and are more likely to help out if your having troubles. There are only a few 'toned bodies' there and nobody looks or makes fun of anyone! I also feel mentally 'happier' after exercising which in turn stops me wanting to eat 'junk food' so its a winner in every way. 
The young man concerned asked the doctor for the gym vouchers - i dont know why he didnt go - but its very sad for him that he didnt see it as an opportunity to 'start' down the more healthy road.
I also agree with you that gyms are not for everyone and they can be expensive - but walking is free and you get a much nicer view. But i do understand that some people get into a rut and just dont know where to start!Bev


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## Admin (Feb 24, 2009)

*Genetic link?*



Lizzie said:


> I think there is a genetic link to type 1, my dad had it and so do I.


Maybe for you Lizzie - but certainly not for me and a lot of others. It's like most things with diabetes - everything put under one blanket and what's right for one is not for another. What I objected to in the report was it was making the assumption that *all* people with Type 1 diabetes had it because they had inherited it - and this just isn't so.


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## bev (Feb 24, 2009)

Hi!
So if not all diabetes type 1 is genetic - what is the cause? Do we know? Bev


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## MarcLister (Feb 24, 2009)

bev said:


> Hi!
> So if not all diabetes type 1 is genetic - what is the cause? Do we know? Bev


I've heard/read that it can be genetic OR an auto-immune issue where the auto immunity systems targets and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas OR an illness can wipe the beta cells.

Not sure how accurate or correct any of those three are, but they are the main causes I've found out about.


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## kojack (Feb 24, 2009)

I find that the media as part of the "Ministry of misinformation" will only put out what will be good headlines or viewing ratings pullers.

So much good research is abstracted to suit the editor/presenter. The latest on this evening's ITV news compared the UK with USA and quoting stats from unsubstantiated sources stated that obesity related T2 was worse here.

Having had to scrutinise PhD students' past work, in many cases found that it had been sponsored by the companies who were seeking "Academic support" for their sales and  in fact other students could have done the same research and found totally contradictory evidence.


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## tracey w (Feb 24, 2009)

Admin said:


> Hi I take most things that are said about diabetes with a pinch of salt - but I have been listening to Radio 1 all day and their top news story is about the rise in type 2 diabetes (a 73% rise) due to a pres release by Diabetes UK. Anyway - in their report they defined the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 - great I thought - as I know there is so much ignorance about the difference - but do you know what their definition for Type 1 was - it is inherited.
> Honestly - I have been spitting feathers and even emailed the news team there! This is such bad, bad reporting.
> 
> Anyway - apart from that great news that the story is out there -
> ...



Hi, i heard the radio 1 report whilst driving home from work at 6 pm. Like you i was appauled at their total lack of knowledge on the description of type 1 and 2! you would think that if they are doing a big thing on the increase of type 2 they would at least get their facts right! Been on the tv news too, but they just went on about obesity and incidence of type two, not as bad as radio report. Honestly so annoying


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## tracey w (Feb 24, 2009)

Admin said:


> Maybe for you Lizzie - but certainly not for me and a lot of others. It's like most things with diabetes - everything put under one blanket and what's right for one is not for another. What I objected to in the report was it was making the assumption that *all* people with Type 1 diabetes had it because they had inherited it - and this just isn't so.



Ditto admin! thats why i was annoyed also. I know of no one in my immediate and extended family who has type 1 or type 2 diabetes for that matter. My brother, parents (THEIR SIBLINGS 9 ON MOTHERS SIDE, 8 ON FATHERS), cousins etc, no one has diabetes to my knowledge, we are talking a lot of people. the report clearly said, type one IS INHERITED.


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## tracey w (Feb 24, 2009)

bev said:


> Hi!
> So if not all diabetes type 1 is genetic - what is the cause? Do we know? Bev



Although there can be a genetic link sometimes, it appears this isnt the cause. They simply dont know the cause, although they(scientists/doctors etc), believe in a lot of cases a virus in the body can cause an autoimmune response, we simply attack our own beta cells in the pancreas and kill it off. (something like that!), but truth is it cant be proved, and in my case i do not remember being ill before hand, although some can pinpoint an illness,  for some we will just never know. Hope this helps.


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## Northerner (Feb 24, 2009)

No-one in my family, immediate or extended, has/had diabetes. My father, however, has suffered from psoriasis for many years, and I believe that this is also thought to possibly have autoimmune origins, so maybe that's some kind of link for me. I certainly haven't had any clear and definitive answer from any of the health professionals I have asked, so the bottom line is that they don't really know...!


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## paulnicholls (Feb 24, 2009)

Thanks goodness for that! I'd lost my login password and couldn't get in...

Anyway, the news on the BBC site today / ITV / Channel 4 has angered me beyond belief. 

The headline virtually reads ' If you're fat and feckless and too lazy to do anything other than stuff McDonalds in your gob, you'll be punished with Diabetes, and it's your own fault '

Tossers.

No mention of bereavement, surgery, or an accident affecting your insulin levels. No mention of the fact that it's a complete mystery for some people as to why diabetes occurs. Not even a mention that it's merely an exacerbation - just that a Royle family type with a large stomach will end up with something they deserve if they don't start acting properly.

The TV coverage shows slothful waddling feckless people eating fast food / lard in slow motion with a soft focus on a fat belly. The coverage is sensationalist journalism at its worst.

.....and people lap this up. Such utter and complete garbage.


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## paulnicholls (Feb 24, 2009)

and just to add... my post isn't attacking larger people - I was larger than average, and eating healthily, exercising and unable to shift weight. I wasn't having a marathon binge of Mars Bars like the coverage mentioned, implying we're all simpletons.


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## bev (Feb 24, 2009)

I did do some research when he was first diagnosed and the only 'link' that i can think of is that 1 year (almost to the day )before , Alex had to be hospitalised with an 'inverted absess' on his bottom! The research suggested that there could be a link to genital infections etc. I dont know whether this is accurate or not - but i am wondering why some people with type 1 are 'upset' with the tag of 'genetic link'? I am not being critical - i just dont understand? Bev


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## tracey w (Feb 24, 2009)

bev said:


> I did do some research when he was first diagnosed and the only 'link' that i can think of is that 1 year (almost to the day )before , Alex had to be hospitalised with an 'inverted absess' on his bottom! The research suggested that there could be a link to genital infections etc. I dont know whether this is accurate or not - but i am wondering why some people with type 1 are 'upset' with the tag of 'genetic link'? I am not being critical - i just dont understand? Bev



Hi Bev, no i am not upset by a "tag", my problem and i presume that of others is that when news/media reports go out they are not correct. There may be a genetic link to some people with type one, but as we have said this is not the absolute cause. I am upset that type one and indeed type two are reported in a lame way, as if they cant be bothered to get all the facts right and educate the rest of the population properly. I totally understand where Paul and others are upset too in the fact that it is "assummed"  if you are fat and cant be botherd to do anything about it then you will probably get type 2! Infact i have just written a lenghty complaint on the radio 1 website, not only about the reporting of type one today, but that of type two also.


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## paulnicholls (Feb 24, 2009)

Blimey, I've just read my post again. 

I'm an angry bunny. You shouldn't laugh at your own stuff, but I was laughing at how Victor Meldrew I sounded, though hopefully a little more articulate than him. 

I'm still just a bit sensitive that the message, though right in some ways, and hopefully encouraging education, is rather wide of the mark in so many ways. 

I just wish they would show someone with Type 2 diabetes (or Type 1 for that matter) as the rest of us are - normal. The thing that is so insidious and concerning is that (as we all know) diabetes can strike anyone at any time. Sadly, Steven Redgrave, that great Diabetic Ambassador doesn't seem to be headline news for our skewed press. Misreporting can be very dangerous, and that's another fear for me.


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## bev (Feb 24, 2009)

Good for you ! Let us know if they bother to reply to you? Although i think a lot of people will be complaining given the way they have been reporting it. I am hoping the children at school wont 'tease' Alex tomorrow -as the report was saying kids with diabetes eat too much food! Only once in the report did they mention type 2. Bev


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## mikep1979 (Feb 24, 2009)

hi all i heard the radio broadcast on radio 2 while out working and thought it was a good thing to have, but the facts were wrong on all accounts. yes type 2 occurs due to being obese but there are also other contributing factors!!!!

the type 1 explanation totally blew me away as i have not inherited it at all!!!!! my pancreas just stopped working due to being attacked by a virus that killed my beta cells. how can someone from diabetes uk be so irresponsible?? i was so angry that i had to switch the cd player on to try and calm down!!!! i would love to be able to help put the point of diabetics across and i was thinking maybe we should put some sort of press release together regarding what we all know as diabetics and send it to the major radio stations??

mike


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## Faceman (Feb 24, 2009)

It annoyed me what that GP said on the breakfast news this morning. She said that some Type 2 Diabetics if they lose weight they can get rid of Diabetes. I completely disagree. You never get rid of diabetes. Granted you might be able to get near normal levels but I thought you never got rid of diabetes. Is this a inappropriate statemtn to make?


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## paulnicholls (Feb 24, 2009)

it's annoying because it's completely wrong. I've lost over 3 stone and I'm still diabetic. Even if I get normal levels, I don't stop being diabetic or having the associated problems and risks.


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## Faceman (Feb 24, 2009)

Agreed.  If you're diagnosed diabetic, you're diabetic, plain and simple.........like the GP this morning!


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## kojack (Feb 24, 2009)

I am just furious if this did in fact come from a complete, not edited statement from DUK.

This 'genetic' marker business for T1 like so many others is meant to indicate a greater possibility of developing the genetically marked illness.
A study many years ago showed a link between a physical or emotional trauma and onset of T1.

Onset of T2 with increasing age seems also to have been lost in the archives.

Don't forget that stress can upset bs levels and BP. 
I just feel sorry for youngsters and those who are treated as some sort of lepers because they are not gold medal Olympians


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## HelenM (Feb 24, 2009)

Many types of diabetes have some genetic element but it may be stronger for type 2 than for type 1. 
'if you have type 2 diabetes, the risk of your child getting diabetes is 1 in 7 if you were diagnosed before age 50 and 1 in 13 if you were diagnosed after age 50. '
If you have an identical twin with diabetes then you have a 75% chance of also developing it. It is difficult to separate out environmental factors (most people develop their eating and exercise  patterns for example in the family)

MODY is very strongly genetic, some of the specific MODY genes have been discovered. There is a very specific inheritance pattern. If you have a parent with it then you have 50% chance of developing it.

People with type 1a  (autoimmune) seem to have a specific genetic predisposition but it takes an environmental factor to actually trigger the condition. ( a virus, the time of the year, lack of vit D, infant feeding patterns, immunisation are amongst the suggested culprits). 'If  you are a man with type 1 diabetes, the odds of your child getting diabetes are 1 in 17  If you are a woman with type 1 diabetes and your child was born before you were 25, your child's risk is 1 in 25; if your child was born after you turned 25, your child's risk is 1 in 100. Your child's risk is doubled if you developed diabetes before age 11.  If both you and your partner have type 1 diabetes, the risk is between 1 in 10 and 1 in 4' . If you have an identical twin with diabetes then you have a less than 1 in 2 chance of developing it.(inheritance figures  in quotes from the ADA website)
There are also people with 1b  (idiopathic/unknown origin) and nobody knows why they develop it! 
 In addition some cases of  diabetes are caused by trauma, drugs or another illness, for example people with too much iron in their blood can develop diabetes.


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## Ikklemo (Feb 24, 2009)

I am a type 2 diabetic, and I am overweight, my brother is a type 2 diabetic and is not over weight, my maternal uncle is type 1 and has been since he was very young, several of my friends are type 2 and one in particular is probably underweight - Arthur Smith does not appear to be overweight, so I would assume type 2 can be inherited.


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## paulnicholls (Feb 24, 2009)

You can have a predisposition to Diabetes, sure. I have absolutely no one in my family with diabetes so it's certainly not genetically linked as far as I am concerned.

I had signs of diabetes for around 3 years, but tests all revealed normal blood sugars. 

My diabetes came on within a week of quite a serious car accident where my insulin levels were massively affected. 

I eat incredibly healthily before diagnosis and lived a good lifestyle. I didn't feast myself on Recycled crap from KFC and was a gym member. I don't drink and don't smoke. 

So, statistics aside, I don't figure in that data. Diabetes sufferers don't fit into a box of terminally unhealthy or feckless and fat as the media seems to want to portray. I take real exception to the sensational headlines peddled and feel that the entirely wrong message has been circulated.


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## Lizzie (Feb 25, 2009)

Admin said:


> Maybe for you Lizzie - but certainly not for me and a lot of others. It's like most things with diabetes - everything put under one blanket and what's right for one is not for another. What I objected to in the report was it was making the assumption that *all* people with Type 1 diabetes had it because they had inherited it - and this just isn't so.



Fair enough. But I am impressed that the media now seems to know that 2 types of diabetes exist, that seems to be a recent development. We can't expect too much - there are word limits for articles, and BBC news website articles seem especially short so there is not enough room to explain exactly what each type of diabetes is, what causes it etc.


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## Lizzie (Feb 25, 2009)

paulnicholls said:


> The TV coverage shows slothful waddling feckless people eating fast food / lard in slow motion with a soft focus on a fat belly. The coverage is sensationalist journalism at its worst.
> 
> .....and people lap this up. Such utter and complete garbage.



I agree Paul. I hate those 'headless fatty' photos and footage. It is so nasty and dehumanising not to see someone's face. And heaven help a fat person who is caught actually eating something by these photographers. If anyone is interested a British writer called Charlotte Cooper has written a really good article about this and why it is so offensive at http://www.charlottecooper.net/docs/fat/headless_fatties.htm


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## paulnicholls (Feb 25, 2009)

What an interesting article Lizzie. Excellent, I like thought provoking journalism.

Isn't it funny that Getty Images were recently locked in a battle with a church for using a stock picture of a church spire owned by them? They were after a phenomenal amount of money calculated on a daily basis, yet they seem perfectly content to take pictures of people very obviously without their consent or payment. 

My point was on a tangent really, we're lumped into the 'headless fatty phenomenon' as diabetics by the link to obesity. Some of us are, some of us aren't, yet there's this very nannying 'careful you don't eat like a pig, or you'll 'catch' diabetes' element. 

Anway, thanks for that link Lizzie, that was ever so interesting.


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## bev (Feb 25, 2009)

I agree with the writer of this article wholeheartedly - but i wonder why she is re-printing all the pictures - surely she is just adding fuel to the fire? Bev


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## Lizzie (Feb 25, 2009)

I am not sure why she has put so many pictures at the bottom of the article, but she refers to some of the ones nearer the top of the page like the lady with the Evans bag and the people with blacked-out eyes. I guess maybe she put so many pictures in to show how many images are available freely online. Most of the time, you only see 1 picute accompanying an article on the 'obesity epidemic' or whatever, maybe she wanted to have a greater impact by showing more images at once.

She also says in her final paragraph: " I see myself in these images, I look like a lot of the people in these photographs, and I'd like to suggest other ways of viewing them: challenge your disgust, see how people are dressed, what they are doing, think about how the picture was taken, what message it was used to convey, how that message relates to the person in the image, who got paid for the picture, and try to imagine who that Headless Fatty might be, try to get a hold of their humanity." Although having so many does sort of deluge you and makes it harder to see the people as individuals.


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## katie (Feb 25, 2009)

paulnicholls said:


> The TV coverage shows slothful waddling feckless people eating fast food / lard in slow motion with a soft focus on a fat belly. The coverage is sensationalist journalism at its worst.
> 
> .....and people lap this up. Such utter and complete garbage.



I always think... imagine if you were one of those poor overweight people walking down the street and you saw yourself on a BBC news report, HORRIFYING! Poor dears.


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## tracey w (Mar 2, 2009)

well a week now since i sent complaint to the bbc. No reply, even though i ticked box requesting one


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## Adrienne (Mar 2, 2009)

Hi

As you are all probably aware by now I am a member of an extremely large children with diabetes on line group.   Whenever any one of us around the country sees a newspaper report that doesn't differentiate between 1 and 2, then at least 20 of us email them.   We have apologises all over the place.   Infact lots of people on this message board helped us by signing the petition to get the Change4 life advert altered.

I get annoyed about the 'fat' label and diabetes but I can understand it to a certain extent.   I am aware however that to get type 2 you have to have the predisposition anyway to get it, so not all fat people get type 2 and even some thin people do.   Wonder what label they can have?  How about 'too thin, they you will get type 2 diabetes'.  Bet we never hear that one.

I am extremely overweight, purely my own fault and it is totally psychological.  I asked the GP for info on a gastric band.  I said I was sure about it but just wanted to find out.    He said that 'down here' I would be very low on the list as they give gastric bands to the people with heart conditions and diabetes first..........

Obviously my immediate answer was, well when I get type 2 diabetes or have a heart condition, I'll come back!!

I try very hard to lose weight.    I have a wii fit now and I love it.   My cousin has lost about 2 stone on his wii fit.   I need to be more motivated though, time is an issue, I'm on the go all the time so you would think I would lose weight.   My family don't understand (parents and sister) as they have never  had a problem.    In my view it is a psychological problem and the medical profession don't see that.   They see anorexia as a psychological problem but why not at the other end of the spectrum.   I don't choose to be overweight, I would choose to be thin, I just have a problem getting there.

Thank you for allowing me to rant a bit, it helps, even if no-one got this far.  I will now go and iron and dance whilst I'm doing it to lose some weight 

Not really, I'll burn myself no doubt. 

Adrienne


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## bev (Mar 3, 2009)

Hi Adrienne,

I have sent you a pm! Bev x


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## tracey w (Mar 3, 2009)

Adrienne said:


> Hi
> 
> As you are all probably aware by now I am a member of an extremely large children with diabetes on line group.   Whenever any one of us around the country sees a newspaper report that doesn't differentiate between 1 and 2, then at least 20 of us email them.   We have apologises all over the place.   Infact lots of people on this message board helped us by signing the petition to get the Change4 life advert altered.
> 
> ...



good luck with the wii fit, sounds very energetic.

dont know if you have tried it, but i lost 1 and half stone on slimming world a few years back. I absolutely loved this regime, not like dieting at all. I cant diet, i love food! You can eat as much as you like, never hungry and even have treats. Not for everyone, but i found it very helpful and the support there was great too, no judging, just listening, tips and help when needed. good luck. x


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