Diabetes, dementia, heart disease and cancer: DNA pioneer James Watson’s controversial new hypothesi

[unhappycamper]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/01/diabetes-dementia-heart-disease-and-cancer-dna-pioneer-james-watsons-controversial-new-hypothesis/

Diabetes, dementia, heart disease and cancer: DNA pioneer James Watson’s controversial new hypothesis
By Ian Sample, The Guardian
Saturday, March 1, 2014 8:19 EST

Not satisfied with his work that unravelled the double helix structure of DNA and landed him a share of a Nobel prize half a century ago, James Watson has come up with a radical theory for diabetes, dementia, heart disease and cancer.

The 85-year-old scientist has turned to the pages of the Lancet medical journal to set forth his grand idea, which some academics say may not have seen the light of day had it come from anyone else.

Watson, who stepped down as director of the Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory in New York in 2007 after the Times quoted his views on Africa and intelligence, has arranged a conference at the lab this year to explore his latest hypothesis.

Writing in the Lancet, Watson claims that late onset, or type 2 diabetes, is traditionally thought to be caused by oxidation in the body that causes inflammation and kills off pancreatic cells. But he thinks the root of that inflammation is quite different: “The fundamental cause, I suggest, is a lack of biological oxidants, not an excess,” he writes.

[TexasProgresive]

1. The following excerpt contains an error

Writing in the Lancet, Watson claims that late onset, or type 2 diabetes, is traditionally thought to be caused by oxidation in the body that causes inflammation and kills off pancreatic cells. But he thinks the root of that inflammation is quite different: “The fundamental cause, I suggest, is a lack of biological oxidants, not an excess,” he writes.

I suffer from type 2 diabetes and it is generally thought to be caused by obesity that leads (which one comes first?) to insulin resistance causing sugar to rise even though insulin is produced.

Type 1 diabetes or Juvenile diabetes results from the destruction of the insulin producing cells. My hope is that the journalist made the mistake and not Dr. Watson.

[SheilaT]

3. Type 1 diabetes,

formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an auto-immune disease. Type 2 is not.

Auto immune diseases include things like type 1 diabetes, lupus, Crohn's disease, alopecia areata (hair loss), scleroderma , and a bunch of other things.

I have no informed opinion about the cause of type 2 diabetes, but while certain aspects are the same as type 1, they are two totally different diseases.

[TexasProgresive]

4. I have no disagrement with your post.

My point is that type 2 is not caused by the destruction of the islets of Langerhans (beta)insulin producing cells as suggested in the article by any means whether autoimmune response or some kind of inflammation. Below are 2 excerpts from the NIH on both type 1 and 2 diabetes. Neither makes mention of "to be caused by oxidation in the body that causes inflammation and kills off pancreatic cells." I think Dr. Watson is on the wrong foot in this matter.

What causes type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin due to the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. In type 1 diabetes—an autoimmune disease—the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells. Normally, the immune system protects the body from infection by identifying and destroying bacteria, viruses, and other potentially harmful foreign substances. But in autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body’s own cells. In type 1 diabetes, beta cell destruction may take place over several years, but symptoms of the disease usually develop over a short period of time.

What causes type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes—the most common form of diabetes—is caused by a combination of factors, including insulin resistance, a condition in which the body’s muscle, fat, and liver cells do not use insulin effectively. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body can no longer produce enough insulin to compensate for the impaired ability to use insulin. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes may develop gradually and can be subtle; some people with type 2 diabetes remain undiagnosed for years.

Type 2 diabetes develops most often in middle-aged and older people who are also overweight or obese. The disease, once rare in youth, is becoming more common in overweight and obese children and adolescents. Scientists think genetic susceptibility and environmental factors are the most likely triggers of type 2 diabetes.

http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/causes/

[tridim]

2. Replacing good fats with sugar and carbs causes diabetes.

Be sure to thank the FDA for their wonderful advice.