I saw a question on here recently about type 2 diabetes and how it is caused by constant insulin spikes from sugars and high GI foods over years. Given that elite athletes in sports such as football, rowing or cycling ect. Often require close to 2x the calorie intake of a regular person a day and a large amount of that is simple carbohydrates for their training, would their body build up a resistance to insulin also, or is their blood sugar not spiking in the same way as a sedentary person due to the need for those sugars as fuel?
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The statistics tell us that type 2 diabetes usually develops in people aged 40+ that are obese.
In order for carbohydrates to be integrated into the organism (usually deposited in the liver as glycogen) we need insulin, so of course even athletes have insulin spikes after a high-in simple carbs intake.
Yes, an athlete can develop Type II diabetes, but it is rare among that population. Two major risk factors are lack of exercise and obesity, neither of which is found in the elite athlete population. Exercise and leanness are protective and counter many of the effects of high glycemic diets.
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