(T2D → Carbs)
Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a condition defined as persistently elevated blood sugar.
Which food elevates blood sugar? Carbohydrates (almost exclusively). Any type of carbohydrate gets converted into blood glucose in short order. This means sugar and whole grains basically have the same blood glucose impact gram for gram.
Most T2Ds still produce insulin in their pancreas, in fact they are likely producing the most insulin over their lifespan while T2D. T2D is not a condition of insufficient insulin, but excessive glucose. Some people will develop double diabetes where the T2D is joined by T1D, so they wouldn't be producing any insulin as a T2D.
**I have not seen any case in the literature where someone who isn't eating a high carbohydrate diet develops type 2 diabetes. **Please correct me if you are aware of such a case study.
Around lemmy I see the constant news cycle of X,Y,Z will increase or decrease T2D risk. Every one of these news articles is just driving hype and doesn't mention the necessity for carbohydrates in the development of type 2 diabetes. Every single "article" Ive come across is providing a sensational simplification of a epidemiological study.
Epidemiology is not science, its the start of science, but it cannot establish causation. At best it can suggest associations which then should be followed by interventional studies with falsifiable hypothesis. With epidemiology you can tease out any association you want Paper - Grilling the data: application of specification curve analysis to red meat and all-cause mortality with basically advanced forms of p-hacking.
Epidemiology shouldn't be in the news, it shouldn't be reported on as lifestyle or dietary advice, it should always come with a huge disclaimer about the assumptions of the study models.
The significant problems with epidemiology in nutrition
- Food Frequency Surveys administered every 1-4 years
- Model assumes variables are independent
- "Control" models make assumptions about RV independence
- Significant healthy user bias
- Weak hazard ratios
- Only reporting in relative risk and not absolute risk
- Tends to use older population so they can see hard endpoints in the data (old people die more often)
TLDR
- You can't get type 2 diabetes if you don't eat carbohydrates
- Epidemiology isn't science