From time to time, I like to check our group to be aware of who is in it as far as diabetes types and reasons why they are here. Below are the poll results from October 18-25, 2015:

Type 2 diabetes (36.7%)
Diabetic family member/friend (26.7%)
Pre-diabetic (10.0%)
Type 1 diabetes (6.7%)
Ex-diabetic (6.7%)
Not diabetic (6.7%)
LADA (latent autoimmune diabetes in adults) (3.3%)
Metabolic syndrome (3.3%)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fortunately, we don’t have anyone with gestational diabetes currently in our group. I hope this means young pregnant women are taking better care of themselves.

I am learning more about LADA, latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, sometimes referred to as Type 1.5 diabetes. It’s like Type 1 in that the person makes little or no insulin and is insulin-dependent but like Type 2 in that they are insulin-resistant—kind of like having the worst of both worlds!

To be truly non-diabetic (or ex-diabetic), one would need to have an A1C of between 4.0 and 5.6 and be able to eat a normal diet, not worrying about carbs or calories, not obese, and blood sugar not going above 120 mm/dL after meals and coming back down to the non-diabetic normal of 70-90 within two hours after a meal.

Pre-diabetic is defined as having an A1C of 5.7-6.4. Full-blown Type 2 diabetes is anything over 6.5, though mainstream doctors will tell patients that anything under 7.0 is acceptable. What I have heard recently is that at Kaiser, anyway, they are telling older patients (70 and over) that it’s “okay” to have an A1C of 8.0. I guess they are hoping we will just die off sooner!

Be sure to check out any of the references listed below for more information. I’m including metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as both can lead to diabetes.

A year ago, on Octoter 26, 2014, this was the poll question result:
Have diabetic family member or friend (50%)
Type 2 diabetes (38%)
Type 1 diabetes (12%)

I asked this same question in October 2013 and got the following results:
Type 2 diabetes (63%)
Type 1 diabetes (12%)
Pre-diabetes (12%)
Have diabetic family member (12%)

References:

Diabetes: The Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7504.php

LADA, the Other Diabetes, Can Be Hard to Spot
http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2013/feb/lada-the-other-diabetes-can-be-hard-to-spot.html

Prediabetes
How to prevent prediabetes from becoming type 2 diabetes
http://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/pre-diabetes/pre-diabetes

The Other Diabetes: LADA, or Type 1.5
Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults is gradually being understood
http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2010/may/the-other-diabetes-lada-or-type-1-5.html

Types of Diabetes
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/diabetes_mellitus_type_1_and_type_2/page2_em.htm#types_of_diabetes

What Is Gestational Diabetes?
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/what-is-gestational-diabetes.html

What Is Metabolic Syndrome?
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/ms

What is PCOS?
http://www.pcosfoundation.org/what-is-pcos

Your Guide to Diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/Diabetes/your-guide-diabetes/Pages/index.aspx