Why do we have skinny people with type 2 diabetes?

Dr Jason Fung explains the difference between subcutaneous and visceral fat and explains why have skinny people can be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

[khamxoxi]

I was diagnosed with diabetes abt 5 yrs ago. Though I was never fat, i lost a lot of weight, I am skinny male, age 40+ under weight at less than 130 lbs. Trying now to gain back my average weight which was about 180 but very hard due to intermittent fasting and eating less calories. Its very difficult and expensive to find good fats and protein to eat, to intake more calories in my feeding window.

[FightBackAgainstDiabetes]

*You Did Not Choose To Be Classified As Diabetic, But You Can Choose To Fight Back Against Diabetes* 💪

[MrAbsentmindedprof]

Diabetes also inhibits caloric absorption, frequently leading to people becoming progressively more thin while diabetic.

[surlespasdondine]

I don't understand why people think skinny people cannot have diabetes.

[micrasystems]

Skinny people can be vitamin D deficient too.

[pigxstix]

I don't have much fat anywhere. I'm 56 yrs, 6'0 160 lbs 30" inch waist, eat a low carb/no sugar Mediterranean type diet and exercise religiously about an hour a day 5 days a week (mix of cardio and traditional free weights). Not just now, but this is how I've lived most my life. And I've been diagnosed as pre-diabetic for years. Always stable but always with a fasting glucose 90s-100s and an A1C around 5.6-5.9 no idea why.

[jamescalifornia]

Unfortunately, the "spare tire " around the middle is the last to go ... 😫"'

[m-]

So... the more skeletal muscle mass, the more storage space for glucose, the better odds avoiding or reversing T2?!

[tufsoft]

I'm a skinny T2 diabetic and I discovered I have hemochromatosis which is a genetic condition that causes accumulation of iron in the body. I was diagnosed with diabetes in China 20+ years ago, unluckily for me Chinese people don't have hemochromatosis because that gene is not present in their population. In Europe generally 1 person in 200 has it and in Ireland 1 person in 80. Worth getting checked for as it is easy to treat.

[tomm]

Keto 9 months lost 54 pounds, minus 2 meds, Sugar is the biggest killer

[life]

Your valuable knowledge will benefit the world. All you need is put in CC in languages.

[joelew]

All the books I read about diet plans for diabetes are geared toward losing fat, exercise, etc, assuming you are overweight. What do skinny diabetics do?

[mercedezlucke-benedict]

Thank you so much for this information it explains a great deal and it’s very important

[kristyhacker]

This makes sense I watched mastering diabetes channel about the same information

[-old-Forthischet]

My father was always a health nut. He had type 2 diabetes. My mother was overweight, lost a lot and regained it back and was diabetic too.

I was pre-diabetic for decades and now in my 70s, am a type 2 diabetic. I lost 45 pounds 2 years prior to becoming diabetic and was at the weight my doctor wanted me to be at.

Chet happens and yes, I'm Asian.

[alanking]

keto diet and taken Berberine to lower blood sugar, works good for me to lower blood sugar. A.1 C
is 5.0 last check

[huntsville]

It would have been helpful if you explained how one can reduce their visceral fat.

[meileevaj]

😔I am only 107 pounds and have blood sugars off the chain…. It’s so frustrating and quite overwhelming. People look at me and say, how can you be diabetic?? Well I am and it’s not getting better. Doc just continued to increase insulin and yet still not decreasing. Or if it decrease then it’s so low I am going into shock..

[macmcleod]

Watch out for "sugar free" products. Many have alternative forms of sugar. That got me last period. I found a delicious new sugar free strawberry drink. Suddenly my A1C blood sugar was 1.8. I knew immediately what had happened and tested with my meter and after having one of those "sugar free" drinks- my blood sugar went up to 240!

This has happened over and over in various ways since I became diabetic.

I've tested and the only sweeteners that do not raise my blood sugar are stevia and sacharine. I'm about to try monkfruit soon.

My procedure is to take a blood test and get my number... then eat the new food/drink the new drink/try the new sweetener... and then take the blood test again 30 minutes later.

For some reason I had slipped on the strawberry drink mix *and* on my popular brand "sugar free" maple syrup.

It did lead me to find strawberry flavored stevia and I'm going to try a keto maple syrup.

Good luck!

P.S. I'm more of a "muscular/athletic" diabetic. 6'5", 228-238. But the doctor wants me down to 195 for heart reasons. Getting there includes losing muscle mass. My legs are 3" smaller around now and the muscle fibers were always visible thru the skin.

[trossalbert]

Dr Fung, what decides where the fat is stored, subcutaneously or in organs where fat does not belong?