Why isn’t it possible to suddenly get diabetes after a single large sugar binge?
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What you’re talking about is T2 diabetes aka Adult Onset.
I was diagnosed in my early 30s. Turn 40 in a few months.
In a normal situation, you eat sugar/carbs (we’ll say “carbs” for the sake of simplicity). Your liver breaks those down into fuel for your cells and dumps it in the blood. The measurement of this is Blood Glucose (BG)
Your pancreas secretes insulin, which is the key that opens the lock to move the sugar from your blood into your cells, where it’s used for fuel.
So carbs in > BG up > insulin up > BG down > Insulin down. Repeat.
T2 is the result of constant spikes in insulin in response to sugar/carbs. So if I tend to eat large, carb laden meals and wash it down with a Pepsi (like I did in my 20s), it goes like this:
Big carbs in > BG skyrockets > Big insulin to compensate > levels start coming back down. Repeat.
Over a decade or so, you develop Insulin Resistance (IR), where your cells need more insulin to absorb the BG.
I’ve seen a few different takes on what exactly is happening with IR, but Jason Fung’s perspective makes the most sense:
After repeated big spikes, your cells are crammed with more glucose than they need. But you keep eating like a King. Your pancreas keeps doing its job and dumping insulin. The cells are forced to absorb more BG. Cycle continues.
Eventually, there’s nowhere to put this excess BG. Cells are full. Liver’s full. A lot has been stored as fat. What can’t be dealt with ends up floating in your blood stream, so your fasting BG goes up.
On a personal note: Do everything in your power to avoid diabetes. It sucks. I have a Continuous Blood Glucose Monitor (CGM) that sticks on my arm and keeps an eye on my BG for me. It’s expensive. The meds are expensive, too.
I haven’t even suffered complications from it, but it increases risk of heart attack, stroke, blindness, limb loss, gangrene, and a host of other nasty issues.
TLDR: it takes years of abuse to develop T2 diabetes, just as it takes years to become obese. You have to work at it. Your body is surprisingly resilient, but it has its limits.
Edit: If you’d like to know more, I suggest The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung. There’s been criticism of his work, but I’ve found it to be anecdotally accurate.
And for the love of God do what you can to avoid diabetes. Make sure your doc is checking your A1C every visit.
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