Why Him and Not Me?

Every. Single. Day. My brother gives himself four shots in his left arm to respond to his body’s pancreatic secretion of insulin. Why him? How did he become one of the 200,000 (of the younger population) who suffer from Type One diabetes? Ever since my brother was diagnosed, I have always wondered why diabetes develops in the first place and what more there was to it besides levels of secretion of insulin in the pancreas. When I first found out about his diagnosis, I was 10 at the time and never fully understood the science behind it all. This led to me to do research and find out more about his every day routine and what the legitmate science was behind diabetes and how he became one of the victims.

In an article published by The Juvenile Research Diabetes Foundation (JDRF), a very famous organization that works toward finding a cure in type one diabetes, there aren’t many known causes for type one. According to the JDRF website, “…scientists believe that both genetic factors and environmental triggers are involved. Its onset has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle. There is nothing you can do to prevent T1D, and—at present—nothing you can do to get rid of it.” I definitely agree with this statement and believe this to be true as I grew up with the same diet my brother had: milk, lots of chicken, broccoli, and chips every now and then. Our diet was actually almost identical as my mom and dad had steak night every Sunday in our house, and we had the exact same whole-wheat sandwich with mustard, aScreen Shot 2015-10-13 at 1.40.50 PMnd turkey packed for lunch. However, after his diagnosis, my mom told me I had to drink less milk, if not cut it out of my diet entirely. I found this to be extremely odd considering the fact that I had grown up on milk and had yet to experience any of the negative side affects. That being said, diet can definitely not prove causation in the development of T1.

After doing more research on T1 Diabetes, I have found many mixed opinions and information on the correlation between milk consumption and diagnosis. In a recent article published in the Free From Harm health and nutrition site, researcher John Mcdougal tells that milk is the leading cause of diabetes (T1). In the article however, Mcdougal does not necessarily elaborate on why this is and HOW the two are related, he kind of just makes it known that he believes milk is bad for you and that humans should cut it out of their diet… To me, this source was not as reliable as others I have come across, as this does not prove direct causation due to the fact that it is purely observational data. Although I agree with the fact that milk may not be the best for humans (as I myself am a vegan), I think that it is important to recognize that this source did not do a good job in explaining why that is and how it definitively relates to the development of diabetes.

You always hear that “genes play a big role” in chronic illnesses, as they do (HYPERLINK!!!). In a recent article written in the EndorcrineWeb, researchers explain the science behind the genes that can play a role in determining this diagnosis. To sum it up, we all have antigens and antibodies in our cells. T cells, are the ones that MAKE antibodies; antibodies are the good guys, they help us fight disease! When a virus enters the body, it containts antigens, these are the cells that the antibodies “attack”. In our pancreas, we have beta cells… This is where the problem occurs. In a virus, some antigens may contain beta cells, and…” The T cells can actually turn against the beta cells. The T cell products (antibodies) can destroy the beta cells, and once all the beta cells in your body have been destroyed, you can’t produce enough insulin”. Although this takes time to develop and destroy the cells, it happens and can be one of the leading causes for fluctuation of insulin in the pancreas, ultimately leading to a dependency on shots for insulin. For more of the nitty gritty detail on this process you can check out the actual link here and read more! HYPERLINK.

Interestingly enough, as I read further into that same article, I found the reason as to why there is such a fuss about milk and its correlation to diabetes, “…some believe that the proteins in cow’s milk are similar to a protein that controls T cell production called glycodelin1. The baby’s body attacks the foreign protein—the cow’s milk protein—but then also attacks glycodelin, leading to an overproduction of T cells. And too many T cells in the body can lead to those T cells destroying the beta cells.” It is important to realize here, that correlation does not prove causation, as this is more so observational data. It is a very interesting concept to give thought to especially because the milk and dairy industry has such a bad rep in todays world.

SO, if none of these are legitmate and provable causes of Type One, what is it? Basically, it is when the “T cells turn against the Beta cells” when we run into problems. Why that is? Well it can be many outside factors, but none of the factors are black and white, meaning it is almost nearly impossible to determine what led to one’s diagnosis when compared to someone else’s. In the meantime, I think your best bet would be to try your best in maintaining a healthier lifestyle and although the correlation cannot prove causation between dairy and diabetes, there is so much evidence and data out there that correlates with these findings. It is definitely worth it to be safe than sorry and try to cut back on consumption.

 

 

 

 

 

One thought on “Why Him and Not Me?

  1. John McGranaghan

    A good friend of mine from high school also has Type One diabetes. I always assumed he wouldn’t have diabetes because both of us ran Cross Country and Track in high school. This really opened my eyes about the seriousness of diabetes and how it can truly affect anyone. I didn’t understand how he could have diabetes and was shocked to see him have to use a needle multiple times per day. I then read about learned that genetics can have a huge role in someone having diabetes. I found a great article about this topic and was very happy to see someone write about this issue.

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