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I do not want to start insulin. My friend who started insulin now has to stay on it forever.
This is true to all patients with type 1 diabetes and partially true to certain people with type 2 diabetes. For patients with type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin and so will need     more
Question Posted:
2011-01-25 18:04
Question: 
Good day. Both my grandmother (mother's side) and my father got Diabetes Type 2 when they got sick, in their late 60's. With diabetes running in the family, how likely will I (or my children) get this illness. Nobody in my family has had diabetes 2 in their early years, except for me when I was pregnant with my first born.
Answer: 
Diabetes is more common in the elderly. Approximately 20-25% of those who are 65 y.o. or older have type 2 diabetes. It’s estimated that 20-40% of individuals with 1 parent with diabetes will develop diabetes in his or her lifetime. That risk is doubled if both parents have diabetes.
 
 
Mothers with gestational diabetes also has higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes, about 50% in 15 years. Unfortunately we can’t change our genes.
 
But these are statistics. It does not predict that it will definitely happen to you. The positive aspect of the story is that we have learned from many research studies around the world that regardless of your ethnicity, losing 7% of your body weight, exercising 150 minutes per week and eating a healthy balanced diet can reduce the chance for developing diabetes by 65%. Periodic dieting is not what is suggested by these studies. The key is persistence in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
 
Answer by: William Hsu, M.D.