Ichythus asked:
I had a fasting glucose test in late 2006 which returned normal. I went back to the doctor this week and he recommended I retest every 1.5 years to monitor that until I bring certain risk factors under control. Is it possible to go from normal to full blown diabetes in a year?
4 replies on “How long does diabetes take to develop?”
Type two diabetes is generally pretty slow to progress. A lot depends on your diet and lifestyle. For me, it took years after the symptoms presented for my doctor to pronounce me, “diabetic”.
Yes, it’s possible, but not likely. If it’s a concern, just learn all you can about preventing it by visiting my diabetes info page:
BTW, It also has taken years for me to reverse the process to where I no longer have to take medication.
Yes its is possible
Type two diabetes is basically insulin resistance. If you have the genetics and eat a poor diet lacking in certain nutrients and high in useless calories, you will most likely become diabetic As the cells become more and more resistant to the action of the body’s insulin, glucose builds up in the blood… that’s diabetes. If this insulin resistance situation is allowed to go on too long, the body’s pancreas keeps producing more and more insulin in an effort to get that built up glucose into the cells. This is the beginning of type two. Most people, in this condition, don’t even know they have it yet. Eventually, the pancreas cannot keep up and “wears out”, that’s when the situation goes past the “borderline”, or “pre-diabetes” stage into full blown where medical attention is usually indicated. If caught early enough while the pancreas can still produce adequate amounts of insulin, a type two diabetic can manage with healthy diet and exercise alone.
The doctor advised you to retest after 1.5 years but I think you should check after 3 months. Also check your HbA1C as this will give you the idea whether you have maitained your average blood glucose good or bad for the past three monts
Change your life style, eat low carbo high fiber diet, avoid sugar/sugary items, lot of fresh fruits and vegetables having low glycemic index, start a brisk walk,this will reduce your chances of becoming diabetic .
For more on diabetes visit
How long is a piece of string?
Seriously, there’s no set time for diabetes to develop. Type 1 (insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)) tends to be of a sudden onset, whereas type 2 (non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) can take a good deal of time.
Type 2 begins as insulin resistance. This means that the cells of your body can’t utilise the insulin that’s being produced by the pancreas. Initially, the islets of Langerhans (the beta cells within the pancreas) begin to produce more insulin, until such time as the pancreas simply can’t cope with such a drastic change in output.
Years ago, medications were given to stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin. This didn’t, however, take account of the fact that this didn’t improve cell uptake of glucose from the bloodstream. More modern medications tend to encourage the body’s cells to be less resistant to the effects of insulin.
If you’re talking about type 1 diabetes, you could become a ‘full blown’ diabetic easily within a year. If you’re talking about type 2 diabetes, you could still become a ‘full blown’ diabetic within a year, but you may not necessarily realise it.
If you’re concerned that you may go on to develop diabetes, seek reassurance from your doctor that waiting for one and a half years between tests won’t cause you undue problems.
Best of luck.
Yes, it can develop in a year!!!
What is normal glucose level? it is under 100 or 5.5 mmol for British.
Yes, it is possible to go from normal levels to 126 in a year. 126 or 7 mmol is the point at which high glucose levels start doing damage to the tiny blood vessels and nerves in toes, fingers and eyes.
Every time you have a fasting glucose testing done or HbA1c, ask for a copy of the test results to put in a folder for your own information. Do NOT just take the doctor’s word that you are “OK” or “normal”!!! Some doctors are still operating from info they recieved in medical school in the “dark ages”, more than 15 years ago.
There are leaps and bounds in the understanding of this disease in the past 20 years!! For instance there are personal glucometers now which give us instant glucose readings, rather than the “pee test strips” of the dark ages which gave yesterday’s readings. There are 7 classes of drugs to combat the disease. These are used in combination as well as singly to help us maintain “normal” glucose readings. 5 oral med classifications, injections which are not insulin, and the insulins.
1.5 years between testings is too far. How often do you get annual physical?? How often do you see your eye doctor? How often do you see your dentist? All 3 of the above are recommended annually or yearly!!!