Hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, obesity...
 

I just saw a report on TV about childhood hypertension. We have been hearing about Type 2 diabetes and obesity in children for years.

So, old guys, is there anyone here who rides actively (multiple times per week with enough intensity that recovery is planned for) who has any of these problems? Or, do you even know of anyone who rides with so intensity who struggles with these issues?

It amazes me to think of children with hypertension, and it makes me sad that I had somehow gotten used to childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes. Please note, I do know that sometimes these issues are due to causes beyond ones control, but we also know those people are the exception and not the rule.

Screens. Phones, ipads, tablets and tv all promote inactivity. Then, take away gym class and the fun it can bring, soon the weight piles on. The stresses kids have to deal with are more than I had at their age. Our society seems to be producing this phenomena. Just my take on it.

I've been a type-2 diabetic since February of 2010. It runs on the maternal side of my family. In season, I do 200+ mile weeks on the bike. Since being diagnosed I think I've done a dozen or so 100+ mile rides. Probably at least one ride a week of 50 or more miles. I take no diabetes meds. There are times when I forget that I have it. ;)

Everyone should follow their doctor's advice when it comes to exercising with intensity.

Athletic training is statistically protective against the vascular and metabolic ravages of age, but most of us carry the genetic seeds of these conditions and many of us will die from them.

I think cycling can stave off a lot of those problems, but in the end, time wins.

Genetics can create any of these challenges, that is for sure.

As for exercise, I have a few thoughts. First, how many of you have doctors who are in great shape? Second, how many people have actually died just from intense exercise? How many people have died due to a sedentary lifestyle? Should a person with known medical challenges consult their doctor, sure.

I've been type 1 for 30yrs. It creates some interesting challenges but I'm starting to get the hang of it.

Life is potentially fatal, really.
-Eddie "The Eagle" '88 winter olympics

Type 1 for almost 21 years. I was diagnosed when Windows 95 came out so I call myself a Windows 95 diabetic, sometimes prone to crashing. With anti-hypertensive drugs and commuting to work everyday on my bicycle, my blood pressure at my last official checkup was 103/60. My doctor was very pleased and if I wasn't experiencing any dizziness, he told me to keep on doing what I am doing.

Canada and the US have similar percentages of their populations who are overweight or obese - both to the point that being overweight is considered completely normal - but for most people in my country, 'obesity' is usually not too far off from 'overweight', while for some reason there is a significant minority of US Americans (and such as) who are looking to find the upper limits of obesity like it is some sort of challenge. The 'average' seems to have shifted so far towards (or past) overweight that children with Type II diabetes is something that just happens. Some regions and populations in Canada are heading that way, too, but it is not mainstream. Yet.

As to the comment above about the number of family physicians who are very fit, I don't know of anyone on my health care team who is not fit... in fact, my (type I diabetic) son's doctor told me last week about his new Trek Domané and the trip he is taking out west to ride it. My doctor's office generally has bikes parked outside in the summer and XC skiis leaned against the wall in the winter.

Anyone watch the documentary called "Fed Up"? It's all about too much sugar (often times disguised) in our diets...

As a Type 1 diabetic for over 52 years, it seems to me that "In the end, only Death wins."

This is not a practice folks, so go for a bicycle trip - no matter how long it is :thumb:

My doc is a rider. He understands my lingo. :)

As a society, we could greatly reduce rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease through a healthful diet, exercise, and stress reduction lifestyle. The only rocket science involved is figuring out how to motivate the masses. Those of us who embrace active transportation (walking, bicycling, etc.) can lead by example.

Less than 2 years ago I was 330#, high BP, pre-diabetic, depression (grief from loosing both parent in < 5 months), pain (from jacked up knee in motorcycle accident, feet from a drunk drive 20 years earlier), work trying to throw me away for all the listed, in a city I just moved to because this is where my work is so I had no friends/support group.

I hit a lowest so far of 206# (working with a weigh & wellness clinic), been talking to a grief counselor, had the knee hardware (that was giving me pain/mobility issues) removed, pushing forward with a total knee replacement, and actually been riding again (something not done since my college days, http://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bic...l#post18222426 is my ride that I dug out of storage and plan to use to give this whole 'bike touring' thing a try with).

So in short, I came to a cross road...keep going one way and it's a dark and lonely path to ???, go this other and the path is brighter...

I think I took the right turn...

I've had a couple fasting glucose readings that were a little high and it started to really freak me out, so I got a monitor and educated myself and changed some diet stuff, and had a physical with all the lab work.

Most of it is really good, but A1C is a little high (which I kind of expected), triglycerides are a little high (not the first time I've seen that either), thyroid TSH is a little high (never seen that before), and Vitamin D is a little low. So I kind of give credit to my intense bike rides for keeping this stuff in check and not being a lot worse. But the diabetes thing still really freaks me out... I **really** don't want to get it.

And I'm also really glad that my prostate is behaving itself.

Western diet (high fat low fiber) and modern conveniences have come together to make it incredibly easy to be fat, myself included off and on. I'm a nurse by trade and the youngest person I've seen on BP meds was a 9 year old kid. He was also obese, probably diabetic by now. For the kids its a matter of parenting. Unfortunately there are a large number of ignorant parents out there who provide their children with chips and soda as a dietary staple from the time they're old enough to eat. Much of this can be cured with education but sadly ignorant people are usually unaware of their ignorance. For the adults its a matter of self control. I'm always surprised at how hard it is to turn down that fatty, salty goodness that we call food.

I believe Michael Pollan called these "edible, food-like, substances."

I can't say your wrong. A lot of kids don't... er... aren't allowed [or sent] outside to play these days. I wouldn't blame that so much on video gaming as I would parents being afraid to let kids out of their sight.

I remember when I was growing up.... all of the problems stemmed from rock and rock and that damn marijuana that was everywhere. I didn't realize we still worried about stress! It's almost stressful to think that I haven't been managing my stress levels. Stress used to be a major health concern. I don't hear about stress anymore. What happened to stress? Did we cure that?

I am NOT making fun. It's sad that we have so many affected by these illnesses and conditions. I also feel that many of the common illness are caused by poor diet, behavior, or hygiene. I wish we had better "user manuals".

Views of the role of stress in disease are evolving, but we have compelling data linking social isolation to bad outcomes, but not incidence, in cardiovascular disease and cancer and strong hints that economic displacement is responsible for the sudden and scary increase in mortality among white, working class people in the US. Conversely, data on extraordinarily healthy populations suggest absence of economic stress and strong social relationships as powerful protective influences.

One hell'va bunch'a scary crap there! At least... it would be if I was white.

You definitely have! Keep up the good work!

You definitely did!!

The obesity epidemic took off in the early/mid 1980s. There weren't many screens other than television back then. I agree that excessive sitting around is a major source of our diabesity problem, but what is the driver of all that sitting? In the '60s, most households had one car. In the 70s, it became two. In the '80s, with the huge drop in fuel prices, one car per adult became the norm. All those cars created a streetscape that was, to say the least, unfriendly to its former rulers, children at play. I remember the horror I felt when neighboring counties banned basketball hoops on residential streets because they interfered with speeding motorists.

If we want little Johnny and Jane to go out and play, and we say we do, we have to allow them safe access to their communities. It's a priority thing. What's more important, driving a bit faster and more distracted or having a healthy population? It's pretty clear what we have chosen.

Thanks for sharing your story! Really inspirational! Congratulations! Hard work coupled with discipline and desire! Awesome!