Does eating too many carbs lead to diabetes?

Being a diabetic that I had a genetic predisposition for and a nurse, I will let you in on a few things I know. To correct one thing I read, carbs that are not broken down as far as I know, don't scar organs. When you have diabetes, sugars are trapped in the blood in high amounts. The cells aren't absorbing sugar properly, and that’s why a diabetic may feel hungry and lack energy much of the time. The body cells are crying out for nourishment despite having sugar all around them. It’s easy for a person with diabetes to overeat in response to these “hunger feelings” and gain weight. This weight gain, especially when the weight is held in the belly area, actually predisposes a person to diabetes and makes it harder to control because it increases insulin resistance. Insulin works like a chemical key to open pores in the cell wall. It’s the job of insulin to open this cell “door” so that the nutrients in the food eaten can pass from the blood into the cell and be burned for energy or used for growth and repair. Insulin is normally released by the pancreas every time blood sugars begin to rise. Diabetes occurs when a person is no longer able to produce enough insulin or the insulin that is produced is ineffective in delivering blood sugars into the cell. The kind of carbs a diabetic eats is important, and need to lean toward the low glycemic index carbs. You can look this up on the internet to get a better idea of what they are. In response to your question, a sedentary lifestyle, and years of eating diets loaded with sugar, refined carbohydrates, and unhealthy fats (animal and trans-fats), causes weight gain, especially in the belly. This accumulated fat may simply gum up the doors to the cells. This puts so much pressure on the pancreas that it wears out prematurely. The pancreas has been working overtime, probably for many years, making extra insulin to keep the sugars down. It’s only after the pancreas tires and begins to slow down, a condition called "insulin fatigue," that blood sugars begin to rise and diabetes is diagnosed. I hope this helps not only you but others to better understand the correlation between carbs and diabetes. There are so many out there that I think want to understand it, but for whatever reason, don't. Maybe this will clear up a lot of misconceptions.

The reason I added about the food consumption is because of the feeling of hunger that people who are diabetic have when their blood sugar isn't controlled, hence the weight gain. I am not saying that everyone that eats that way will become diabetic but what I am saying is that when someone's blood sugar is uncontrolled that they are constantly hungry, even immediately after they eat. This can cause them to overeat because the cells, not getting the food they need, sends a message to the brain that they are still hungry, which sends message to the stomach to growl. I experienced the hunger pains right after I ate just before I was diagnosed so I know this firsthand. Just imagine this, you just ate a big dinner, are stuffed, and not 5 minutes after you finish the meal, your stomach is growling and hurting like you haven't eaten at all. That is what it is like, not fun. This is where the over consumption of food comes into play. It's not because a diabetic chooses to overeat but the body is saying feed me even though a meal was just eaten. If you haven't experienced this feeling, don't assume that a person with this going on can go without eating, it would be similar to a normal person who hasn't eaten at all and their stomach is growling, upset and hurting. They eat as do people who have diabetes and don't know it, but it is a totally different scenario. I am gonna shut up now, have posted enough on this subject.

From someone who just spent the past 3 years working with my mother's doctors and learning everything I could about Diabetes, I can comment on this question with some level of knowledge.
When you eat carbs, they are broken down into sugar in your body. Insulin is required to process that sugar and further break it down where your body can use it for fuel. If the sugar doesn't get broken down, it crystalizes and makes its way thru your blood stream and organs like tiny shards of glass, cutting and scraping as it goes thru, leaving scarring in its place.

The amount of carbs you eat and the rate those carbs break down in your body, determines the rate that your blood sugar level rises, and how much insulin is needed to break down the sugar. Repeated high amounts of sugar in your blood stresses your pancreas by forcing it to release higher and higher amounts of insulin. At some point, your body will become insulin resistant, and your pancreas can no longer provide enough insulin to break down the sugar in your system. At what level your body will get to this point, can be based on many factors, including genetics, and activity levels.

People who have a certain body type, a higher BF%, and are more sedentary, can reach the level of insulin resistance quicker than others may reach that point. So some people can get away with eating higher amounts of carbs and sugars for quite a while, but eventually if they continue to over stress their insulin system, they are at risk of developing Diabetes.

Eating higher fiber carbs can slow down the breakdown into sugar, allowing more time for the pancreas to release the insulin in lower amounts. Exercise is also very beneficial in preventing Diabetes.

It is very important to get your sugar levels checked regularly, and if your doctor is concerned with your number being too high, then immediately change your eating habits. It is not just a "little high sugar" that you can simply take a pill and all will be fine.
Pills turn into shots, and shots turn into more shots, and that turns into kidney failure, and dialysis, and after years of ignoring your doctor's advice, your family gets to watch you die a slow and painful death.

So does eating too many carbs lead to Diabetes? The answer is YES. The question is just HOW many carbs are too many for YOU.

This is about Type 2 Diabetes, NOT Type 1, which is an inherited disease that is not caused by diet.

Oh and just a little more info, obesity is not central to getting diabetes, passmetheduck... read my post cause maybe it will enlighten you and others to the true reasons behind it....and its not just too much food and being overweight....cause my hubby is normal weight and he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in April and had a starting blood sugar of 445.

Define "normal weight". I have yet to meet someone with type 2 diabetes who was not overweight, so I find this interesting. What was his meal frequency and composition like in the time leading up to the diagnosis?

40+ posts, and not one mention of intramyocellular lipid.

Diabetes is a complicated disease, but it is commonly caused by a high fat diet. High glycemic foods only compound the problem.

Diabetes has been effectively treated by switching to a high carbohydrate, low fat vegan diet.

In response to your question, a sedentary lifestyle, and years of eating diets loaded with sugar, refined carbohydrates, and unhealthy fats (animal and trans-fats), causes weight gain, especially in the belly.

Except this part of the post is, well, incorrect. The only way for these foods to cause weight gain is for them to be over consumed, and over consumed leading to weight gain leads to obesity........with no weight gain there is a far less chance of diabetes. You can't take for granted that someone that eats these foods are going to gain weight.

Eating lots of carbs often means you are also eating lots of calories. Most people who are overweight/obese are eating too many calories, and often much of their diet is from carbs. Those tend to be the foods many people overeat. Think pizza, cookie, bread, cakes, pasta. Do you cheat on your diet with too many vegetables? Probably not. Most people are not overeating their veggies or protein. Do you cheat with a pint of Ben and Jerry's? Hmmm. And fat? By itself, not so bad. But mixed into those high carb meals... high calorie whammy.

Here's my math:
Too much food (carbs + fat) = high cals --> obesity + family risk = diabetes + metabolic syndrome = Cardiovascular disease and other fun stuff.

The best way to avoid Type 2 is to reduce obesity by whatever means possible. A healthier means is probably a better means, since there's more to health than weight loss.

So, do carbs cause diabetes? No, that's crazy talk. Is obesity caused by overeating linked to Type 2 diabetes? Yes, most likely. Do most people who overeat tend to overeat carbs? Yes, they do.

When I was diabetic, I controlled my glucose swings by limiting carbs. I could see the exact effect of carbs on my pre- and post-prandial testing. I was lucky and managed my diabetes (gestational) through diet alone. As soon as I popped out those babies and their pesky placentas that were wreaking havoc on my pancreas, my diabetes was eliminated. However, I'm essentially guaranteed to be diabetic (family history + diabetic siblings + gestational... triple risk whammy) if I don't keep my weight down. I choose to do it by limiting my carb intake, and savoring my fats, while eating at a deficit. Of course, my diary sucks today.

I agree with your math.:happy:

I have yet to meet someone with type 2 diabetes who was not overweight, so I find this interesting.

Eating lots of carbs often means you are also eating lots of calories. Most people who are overweight/obese are eating too many calories, and often much of their diet is from carbs. Those tend to be the foods many people overeat. Think pizza, cookie, bread, cakes, pasta. Do you cheat on your diet with too many vegetables? Probably not. Most people are not overeating their veggies or protein. Do you cheat with a pint of Ben and Jerry's? Hmmm. And fat? By itself, not so bad. But mixed into those high carb meals... high calorie whammy.

Here's my math:
Too much food (carbs + fat) = high cals --> obesity + family risk = diabetes + metabolic syndrome = Cardiovascular disease and other fun stuff.

The best way to avoid Type 2 is to reduce obesity by whatever means possible. A healthier means is probably a better means, since there's more to health than weight loss.

So, do carbs cause diabetes? No, that's crazy talk. Is obesity caused by overeating linked to Type 2 diabetes? Yes, most likely. Do most people who overeat tend to overeat carbs? Yes, they do.

When I was diabetic, I controlled my glucose swings by limiting carbs. I could see the exact effect of carbs on my pre- and post-prandial testing. I was lucky and managed my diabetes (gestational) through diet alone. As soon as I popped out those babies and their pesky placentas that were wreaking havoc on my pancreas, my diabetes was eliminated. However, I'm essentially guaranteed to be diabetic (family history + diabetic siblings + gestational... triple risk whammy) if I don't keep my weight down. I choose to do it by limiting my carb intake, and savoring my fats, while eating at a deficit. Of course, my diary sucks today.

I agree with your math.:happy:

What do you recommend for the low weight type 2 diabetic then? Its more common than people think and they can't simply lose weight since they risk health issues from being underweight. Theres still the posibility that whatever causes someone to be diabetic also makes them more prone to becoming obese. I dont think its as simple as "dont get fat" the problem is way more complicated

edited earlier posts to save space...

Its weird how you know exactly what causes t2 diabetes when no research seems to have pinpointed an exact cause yet. How does an athletic low weight person still become prediabetic and will likely be type 2 diabetic then? They're not overfat or skinny fat so what else can be the cause?

That is some interesting stuff. For what it's worth, you can supplement ALCAR+ALA+NAC for pennies a day, and not only will it provide enough protection to mitigate damage from virtually all sources of oxidative stress, ALCAR+ALA have been shown to actually reverse mitochondrial damage.

Controlling inflammation through diet (get tested to see what foods if any you have an inflammatory response to), regular fasting (and/or low meal fequency) and by maintaining a healthy body fat level seem to be keystones for optimal health.