Vitamin D deficiency => Stunted bone growth => Smaller skull than plan called for => Not enough space in dental arch for teeth size => Crowded teeth, crooked teeth. Weston Price collected evidence on the subject.

I ask the question in reverse. Which gene would then be responsible for crooked teeth?

Oh I had no idea what the cause of crooked teeth was. That is why I asked...

Vitamin D deficiency is definitely possible, I could even have claimed that crooked teeth run in my family, but since Vitamin D deficiency runs in my country, not just family...I did get into the sun more than most, but I'll buy that it probably was not enough. Thanks for the info.

However, I do not think that if the exact gene that causes something is not specified, this proves that the something is not genetic. All it proves is that if it is genetic, we have not yet found the gene.

I agree. But our genes surely aren't programmed to build us crooked. In my opinion, existing evidence that supports one hypothesis beats hands down yet-to-be-found hypothetical evidence that may, if found, support another hypothesis.

You do not think that our genes build us with different strengths and weaknesses? Is my European skin more easily burned on exposure to sunlight than that of my DH, whose ancestral line is from equatorial Asia, because of a Vitamin deficiency?




So do you believe that if we do not know the cause of a disease, some evidence and a hypothesis will do instead of proof of cause and effect?

There is existing evidence that supports the hypothesis that Type 2 Diabetes is not caused entirely by diet, taking this position about it is not based on yet-to-be-found hypothetical evidence.

Some of us have genes designed to build us crooked. Sickle cell anemia comes to mind.

Hi RCO,
Thank you for the links and welcoming. I now think mine is rather MODY based on the extensive testing. But it does not make much difference what label I put on it now, the main point is hot to control BGs as close to normal as possible to avoid common complications of this disorder. I read LOttaData blog on regular basis as well as any research on this condition that I stumble across.
I believe diabetes is grossly misunderstood and understudied by most endocrinologist, which makes me think there are more than black and white (T1 versus T2) "varieties" of diabetes. Unfortunately, this does not reflect the treatment, which is a standard low fat /high carb diet with addition of commonly used drugs and/or insulin.
I agree that en masses testing for diabetes is not possible especially between rural population, so there is possibility that the disease is present among low carb eaters as well.
As drs. say there is no 100% healthy ppl, there are under diagnosed
TG

I have read this one, but it did not change the way I think of diabetes and it did not explain why and how majority of population manages to eat high carb diet ( western or not) and avoid diabetes.
Nice to meet you NancyLC.

I was arguing "the egg or the chicken". What caused this defective gene in the first place? Is it merely chance or is there something else that we don't know yet? For instance, it's entirely possible that a fetus becomes damaged by the mother's diet. In my opinion, this implies the possibility that the fetus' genes could also be damaged in the same manner and we would never know what came first. Genes are not immune to the effects of our environment.

It's also possible that a typical environment causes a typical genetic mutation such that it causes the same condition in different individuals. The most obvious would be DM type 2 in young children. If that's what happened in fact. The point is, if DM type 2 is driven by genetics, then I would look at what caused the genes to allow DM type 2 in the first place. I would look at the mother's diet first then at everything else the mother did during pregnancy or even before.

So, is it our genes that dictate what we'll become or is it the environment that dictates what our genes will dictate or is it both?

This discussion is about the cause of Type 2 Diabetes, and based on the title of the thread, is it caused by diet or just unlucky genes. Are you suggesting that you believe we can influence genes with diet, therefore it is not a question of one cause or another, but that diet in fact, causes the genes?

Martin, I once read about sickle cell anemia and its perceived origins. I no longer recall the details (read that as me saying everything I am writing now may be wrong) but I believe the gene is found in a population of people living where there is malaria. Sickle cell disease protects against blood parasites because the normally shaped red blood cells can collapse into the sickle shape when attacked by parasites, thus destroying the parasites.

Well there is some interesting information even if it is just a theory. This is why IMHO accurate information far outweighs some evidence and a theory. If we do not know what we do not know, and we act instead on the limited information that we do have, how do we know that we are not causing more harm than good ? We might know that we are trying to do good, but why take the risk of causing harm, rather than wait until we know what we are doing?

There is no one in the Bernstein/Diabetes Forum on this site that has accepted this as their treatment system...at least, not as far as I know .

BTW I'm waiting on test results regarding MODY myself.

I hadn't heard the term "epigenetics" until recently, and found this an interesting read:

The Big Picture: Development, Epigenetics and the "Diabesity" Epidemic

http://www.nyas.org/ebriefreps/main.asp?intEBriefID=738

Researchers believe that the perinatal period—from gestation to puberty—is most likely the optimal time to intervene. But doing so will hardly be straightforward. More than 50 genes are involved in obesity, and genes account for perhaps 60% to 70% of the problem...

Epigenetics—literally, "above" genetics—is the study of mitotically heritable alterations in gene expression potential that are not caused by changes in DNA sequence. Simply put, this means that epigenetic processes can alter gene activity in DNA without changing the genes themselves. Like a software program that tells a computer what to do, epigenetic processes tell DNA when, where, and how to express our genes. Just as genetic mutations can adversely affect health, so, too, can epigenetic dysregulation. And so interventions to thwart obesity and diabetes will have to target not only specific genes, but also specific epigenetic processes that influence them.

Check out the pics of the cloned cat on the next page for evidence of the importance of epigenetics: http://www.nyas.org/ebriefreps/main...bSectionID=6321

Then epigenetics means the plan is plastic and the earlier we act, the easier it is.

This is true...Sickle cell anemia evolved to fight malaria, hence anyone who has sickle cell anemia is immuned to malaria.