RUNNER TREATED WITH STEROIDS
Stewart Jeffries, 54, a sales rep, lives in Manchester with his wife Janice, 60, a radiographer. they have three children and four grandchildren. His weight, 11 st, and height, 5ft 6in, give him a BMI of 24. Stewart says:
PEOPLE are always surprised when I tell them I have type 2 — I do think many don’t realise that it’s not just so- called ‘unhealthy’ people who get it.
And then they’ll say: ‘oh, it’s only type 2.’ They underestimate how serious it can be if you don’t look after yourself, as it raises the risk of heart attack or stroke.
I was pretty shocked when I was diagnosed. Twelve years ago, I was successfully treated with chemotherapy for leukaemia, and ever since I’ve been determined to stay fit. I was never overweight but I took up running in 2011 and now run three times a week. I don’t smoke and I’ve also never been more than an occasional drinker.
Before my diabetes diagnosis, my only ‘ bad’ habit was drinking sugary cola sometimes and eating chocolate a few times a week.
I hadn’t been feeling unwell, but on a long car journey four years ago, I found myself needing the loo every hour. I assumed it was a prostate issue, but blood tests revealed I had high blood sugar and type 2 diabetes. They didn’t know why I’d developed it, although my brother, who’s 18 months older, also has it.
I was able to control it through diet until three months ago, when my blood sugar levels became a nudge too high and I was put on metformin to help control them.
EXPERT COMMENT: Stewart’s treatment for leukaemia involved steroid drugs to protect him from the effects of chemotherapy, and these drugs might have affected the function of the pancreas — insulin is released from the cells in the pancreas, says Dr Sharma.
This can also happen with longterm use of steroids for other conditions. However, having sugary drinks little but often, as Stewart did, may have had an impact too, as this can lead to a reduction in insulin production.
‘Short bursts of high levels of glucose, as you’d get from a sugary drink, over time can reduce the body’s ability to produce insulin and can, in some people, precipitate diabetes,’ says Dr Sharma.
The fact that his brother has type 2 could suggest a genetic link. ‘If you have a parent, brother or sister with type 2 diabetes, then that increases your risk by 6 per cent.’