Live data from Hacker News

Rare genital defects seen in sons of men taking major diabetes drug

science.org

191–200 of 234 posts

Re: Rare genital defects seen in sons of men taking major diabetes drug

#191

It’s so interesting that type 2 diabetes is curable with diet. Type 1 is incurable. My point is that the psychology of eating is so strong that people would rather take a drug that pass on birth defects to the future than change eating habits. And I’m a person coming from struggling with just those habits. I think if someone could come up with a treatment to adjust mindsets - it would change healthcare forever and en…

Type 2 diabetes is not curable with diet. Some (but not all) cases of type 2 can be _prevented_ by proper diet (i.e. avoiding obesity). There is no known diet that cures any type of existing diabetes.

Hmmm. My mother was able to stop taking insulin for her type 2 by changing her diet after doctors told her she would need insulin for the rest of her life. Are you saying it was all in her head?

I have no idea why people keep saying this.

Re: Rare genital defects seen in sons of men taking major diabetes drug

#192
post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Type 2 diabetes is not curable with diet. Some (but not all) cases of type 2 can be _prevented_ by proper diet (i.e. avoiding obesity). There is no known diet that cures any type of existing diabetes.

Type-2 diabetes can't be cured, but it can be put into permanent remission with diet for many patients. Virta Health has peer-reviewed research supporting this approach. https://www.virtahealth.com/resource-type/research

> Type-2 diabetes can't be cured, but it can be put into permanent remission

This is such a weird thing to say. If it never comes back you cured it. It's like saying a cold or cancer cannot be cured, but it can be put into permanent remission.

It likely takes the agency away from people and apologizes for the failures of the medical industry.

Re: Rare genital defects seen in sons of men taking major diabetes drug

#193

I'm 26 and have been on Metformin for almost a decade at this point and will probably be on it until I die. Thankfully though, children are not in my future.

Please get your serum zinc levels tested. I am saying this from experience and knowledge.

Re: Rare genital defects seen in sons of men taking major diabetes drug

#194
post #12
post #2

Metformin is the first resort in diabetes treatment. If it proves to truly increase birth defects by 40% that may have to change. It was my doctor's first resort for me, but the side effects were too severe and I stopped it. He vaguely mentioned that it would help if I lost weight, but made no mention of what actually resolved my diabetes, a low carb diet. I hope that becomes the first resort. Apparently around here…

Wow, if they aren't suggesting dietary and exercise based solutions first, that's a huge red flag. Find a new doctor.

You will be hard pressed to find a doctor that talks nutrition.

It took me four years to force my doctor to test my serum zinc levels. When she did they found I was deficient. She did not know what to do, nor did it even seem to impact or shock her.

Zinc sulphate gave my life back to me. (Lupus, mood disorder) You would think that my doctor would share this with everyone. But no.

Re: Rare genital defects seen in sons of men taking major diabetes drug

#195
post #2

Metformin is the first resort in diabetes treatment. If it proves to truly increase birth defects by 40% that may have to change. It was my doctor's first resort for me, but the side effects were too severe and I stopped it. He vaguely mentioned that it would help if I lost weight, but made no mention of what actually resolved my diabetes, a low carb diet. I hope that becomes the first resort. Apparently around here…

> Metformin is the first resort in diabetes treatment First resort for T2 diabetes. T1 diabetics have to go on insulin immediately, there's no other option.

They have yet to see the other option for type 1 dates, but they are getting close.

https://www.aacc.org/science-and-research/scientific-shorts/...

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40199-015-0127-4

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/nutrition-research-r...

https://www.e-cep.org/journal/view.php?number=20125555368

I believe that Type 1, being classified and "autoimmune disease", can be reversed.

Re: Rare genital defects seen in sons of men taking major diabetes drug

#197
post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Type-2 diabetes can't be cured, but it can be put into permanent remission with diet for many patients. Virta Health has peer-reviewed research supporting this approach. https://www.virtahealth.com/resource-type/research

> Type-2 diabetes can't be cured, but it can be put into permanent remission This is such a weird thing to say. If it never comes back you cured it. It's like saying a cold or cancer cannot be cured, but it can be put into permanent remission. It likely takes the agency away from people and apologizes for the failures of the medical industry.

I think your might not understand the medical terminology. There is a distinct difference between curing an acute infectious disease versus putting a chronic condition into remission. In the majority of cases, cancer can't be cured either; it usually isn't possible to eliminate 100% of malignant cells so if the patient survives long enough then the same cancer will eventually return. While a low-carb diet can often put type-2 diabetes into remission, if the intervention is removed then the condition will return.

This is not a failure of the medical industry and no apology is needed.

Re: Rare genital defects seen in sons of men taking major diabetes drug

#198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course they start with diet/exercise - but ask yourself how many patients you think take that advice… high blood sugar is a really serious problem and the unfortunate reality is that people are very resistant to lifestyle changes — so the least harm is often to medicate.

Literally, the root(?) commenter said diet was not discussed. They had to find out about a low carb diet on their own, and it worked.

Sure, but that's almost certainly an exaggeration where OP gets to cosplay as the 'hero' in their story -- every single treatment protocol in every single medical setting for diabetes starts with a low-carb diet and exercise.

Literally the top of the 'treatment' section on WebMD:

> Managing type 2 diabetes includes a mix of lifestyle changes and medication. Lifestyle changes: You may be able to reach your target blood sugar levels with diet and exercise alone.

And the section on preventing type 2:

> Adopting a healthy lifestyle can help you lower your risk of diabetes.

> Lose weight. Dropping just 7% to 10% of your weight can cut your risk of type 2 diabetes in half.

> Get active. Thirty minutes of brisk walking a day will cut your risk by almost a third.

> Eat right. Avoid highly processed carbs, sugary drinks, and trans and saturated fats. Limit red and processed meats.

https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/type-2-diabetes

Re: Rare genital defects seen in sons of men taking major diabetes drug

#199
post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Type-2 diabetes can't be cured, but it can be put into permanent remission This is such a weird thing to say. If it never comes back you cured it. It's like saying a cold or cancer cannot be cured, but it can be put into permanent remission. It likely takes the agency away from people and apologizes for the failures of the medical industry.

I think your might not understand the medical terminology. There is a distinct difference between curing an acute infectious disease versus putting a chronic condition into remission. In the majority of cases, cancer can't be cured either; it usually isn't possible to eliminate 100% of malignant cells so if the patient survives long enough then the same cancer will eventually return. While a low-carb diet can often p…

What I am saying the medical terminology is the problem.

> if the intervention is removed then the condition will return.

If the interventions preventing covid are removed the condition will return. Do you get that?

On cancer; we all have malignant cells, all the time. everyone right now has cancer cells in their body.

https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2018/04/18/science-surgery...

Not smoking is an intervention against getting "too much" cancer.

> While a low-carb diet can often put type-2 diabetes into remission, if the intervention is removed then the condition will return

Low carb diets do not cure diabetes. They treats diabetes. The cure to diabetes (type 2) is not engaging in a lifestyle that causes diabetes, which probably results from causing a zinc deficiency.

You can avoid diabetes like you can avoid COVID.

Re: Rare genital defects seen in sons of men taking major diabetes drug

#200
post #169
post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, we really don't. Just look at the way the obesity rate has steadily increased over the past several generations. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statisti... Doctors are now seeing children come in fatty liver disease. That never used to happen.

> Doctors are now seeing children come in fatty liver disease. That never used to happen. They used to die of malnutrition of all kinds. Not just because of being poor, but because of us not knowing this or that is necessary in food. The physical work people used to do was body breaking fairly often. The chemicals people used to be in daily contact with were body damaging too.

Well now you're just making things up. Deaths from nutritional deficiency have always been extremely rare in the USA. Outside of some isolated cases of abuse or neglect or mental illness, only the poorest people ever died of malnutrition. It has never been among the leading causes of death. Knowing this or that is necessary in food is mostly just of academic interest and hasn't actually produced better health outcomes.
Post reply on HN