Is this a Diabetes myth or fact?

While it is true that if diabetes runs in your family that you are genetically predisposed to getting it as well, there is no hard and fast rule. A lot of families tend to become diabetic because they all eat together, and they all eat the same unhealthy foods and don't exercise. As the first poster suggested, if you eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly, you can still avoid becoming diabetic. The important thing is to stay away from sugar and junk foods, to limit "white foods" like white rice, bread and pasta, and potatoes. And to exercise for at least 30-45 minutes each day. If you do eat carbohydrates, eat protein with it. And get your blood glucose checked yearly.

Thats interesting, I never heard that before. I don't know, but I can tell you that my mother has it, and I have it, and so does my grandmother! So its an all female line in my family! So if that is true we didn't follow it!!

I would have to say its a myth. My Niece is a diabetic, and no one on her Mother side or Father side are diabetics.

Well I think that is a myth. When you have a family history of diabetes then you have also the risk of having it in the future and it does not matter whether your the daughter or son. I am diabetic and my father is also so I guess that breaks the myth. I think what is true about it is that the probability of you getting that is high as you really belong to a family that does have the disease so be careful with what you eat and monitor your sugar level as much as you can.

hi nerdy marc no thats a myth. what is the truth is that any children from diabetic parents have a great chance of becoming diabetic unless they keep their weight down to normal and eat lots of fruits and veggies and lean meat, and cut back on carb, use whole grain breads and pastas. My son if fifty and has never shown any signs of diabetes, and both his dad and I are diabetics.so you dont have to have diabetes just because you do have ahigher percentage of becoming that, you can prevent this with proper diet and excersize and keeping your weight normal.

My father, grandmother, and Aunt, on my fathers side all had diabetes. My sister and U both have it

I have a doctor friend who is a specialist[endocrynologist and diabetologist]. She said that the chances of children getting this is very high and that because my husband is diabetic the chances of my son getting it is high.This disproves what you have said. The doctor I am talking about is a really good one and knows what she is talking about.

That is odd...because thinking about it my mother has Juvenile Diabetes and her father had it as well, her mother wasn't diabetic. My father has Adult onset diabetes and his mother had the same and his father was not diabetic. My Aunt on my father's side had gestational diabetes....and my aunt on my mother's side does not have diabetes. I just look at it this way it is on both side of my family so the only thing I can see if I will get one or the other. Most likely adult onset, but I am trying to maintain my weight and eat healtheir to prevent or delay the onset of it. It's amazing how far diabetes has come in such a short time. My great grandmother on my mother's side was hospitalized in a mental ward b/c they thought she was crazy....it turns out they did not know about diabetes then. Which is sad b/c my grandfather never talked about her after that according to my mother.

I have heard that diabetes tends to run in the family. I'm diabetic, my mom was diabetic, but of my four grandparents, 3 of them were diabetic. I guess I was doomed to be too. My son is 25 years old and he was tested when he started truck driving and we were both worried until the test came back. It showed he was fine but I still warn him that he will probably show up diabetic also as he gets older. Have a great day! Char :-)

Diabetes can be passed down from family memebers, but I think you can maybe change ways . Like my pap was and then my mom , and she changed her life style with eating . Later , in life she started eating what she wanted again and once agin it came back , and this time around they put her on pills .

I'm a diabetic and I've never read anywhere that this would make a difference. I do know that it can run in families. It does in mine. But I've had both male and female members have it, so I don't think it matters which one passed the gene on to me. When I was younger doctors would tell me to do this, do that. I didn't listen. Truthfully I didn't know the reasons behind their warnings. I think if they had explained why all of these things are needed I might have taken better care of my health when younger. And maybe then I wouldn't have developed all of the conditions I now have. The best thing to do is eat right and exercise.