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Ya Think?

March 21, 2007

Here's a bit of news that isn't remotely surprising: David Wells, the beer-bellied pitcher for the San Diego Padres, has diabetes.

But on the bright side, he's saying the right things about it:

“From the time I found out, I made changes. No more starches and sugar. No more rice, pasta, potatoes and white bread. No more fast food. I've cut out alcohol.”

That's right, Boomer Wells has given up drinking. Well, not entirely.

“I can still have a glass of wine now and then,” said Wells. “I can still run with the guys. But I've got to watch what I'm doing."

But then he says things like this:

"I don't want this going to Type 1 diabetes."

And this:

"I'm eating like a rabbit . . . salads, fish, chicken.”

I just hope that none of the children listening come away thinking that what Wells has -- diabetes mellitus type 2 -- can become type 1. Or, for that matter, that rabbits eat fish and chicken.

Wells is no stranger to lifestyle-related health problems:

He has battled gout at times. He is allergic to shellfish. And he has a history of high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

I wish him luck, of course, but I do see one ominous sign: His manager's name is "Bud."

UPDATE: Just to clarify ...

Shortly after I posted this, I got emails from Steve Adam and Adam Campbell pointing out that I misunderstood what David Wells said about type 2 diabetes turning into type 1.

While one can't literally turn into the other, as a medical diagnosis, it's an unimportant distinction. If you have type 2 and leave it unchecked, your body eventually will become unable to produce insulin. Then you'll be insulin-dependent, same as if you had type 1 all along.

Adam Campbell says that Dr. Michael Eades calls this "type 3" diabetes.

So I apologize to Wells. But, in my defense, I'm pretty sure I'm right about rabbits ... unless they really do eat fish and chicken, in which case I'll have to apologize to Boomer for that, too.

Posted by LouSchuler at March 21, 2007 07:12 AM

Comments

Hi Lou:

Sorry to disagree with Adam or with Dr. Eades but...

There is little evidence that Type 2 diabetes pregresses to Type 1 in most people. The causes are very different. Type 2 diabetics have lots of insulin floating around, but their cells are resistent to utilizing it. Type 1 diabetics just don't produce ENOUGH insulin.
There is little evidence that one leads to the other..

What DOES happen, frequently, is that Type 2 diabetics do a poor job of controlling their diet and fail to lose weight..that leads their Doctor to put them on insulin to lower their blood sugar...

insulin, being an anabolic hormone causes then to deposit MORE fat..and a vicious cycle sets up....

So, for a Type 2 diabetic, the "money" is in the diet...

Regards from a fellow ex-St. Louisan...

Doc

Posted by: DocJim at March 21, 2007 04:56 PM

DocJim, thanks for the comment, and for navigating my fucked-up comment-posting system. (I'm impressed that anyone can figure out how to use it. I own the damned site, and sometimes don't post replies to comments because it takes too many steps.)

Anyway:

I'm really getting schooled on diabetes these past two days, which is fine. Knowledge is good, as they say at Faber College.

Here's how Adam Campbell described it to me in an email:

"It's important to note that there are different degrees of type 2 diabetes.

"The first problem is that you have too much insulin, due to insulin-resistant cells. But as time goes by and the disease worsens, this changes.

"For instance, if insulin resistance continues to mount, the insulin-producing structures in your pancreas -- known as beta cells -- can start to "burn out." This leads to an under-production of the hormone, and is the most serious stage of the disease.

"Once this happens, type 2 diabetics typically need to inject insulin to control their blood sugar, given that the pancreas can no longer provide enough on its own.

"Yes, they're still insulin-resistant, which is different than type 1. But they still need insulin to live. David Wells is saying that he doesn't want to get to that point -- at least that's the way I read it.

"Swedish researchers recently determined that this occurs an average of 2.5 years after a person is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. This is a very real stage of the disease."

I think you're both talking about the same set of issues, just emphasizing different points.

Posted by: Lou Schuler at March 22, 2007 08:54 AM

Ya Think?

March 21, 2007

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