Is it only the lazy who are affected by Type 2 diabetes?

I HAVE Type 2 diabetes. I was diagnosed in 2001 but I suspect I had had this condition for a long time before that. I was 16 stone plus, didn’t exercise and enjoyed the odd glass of vino too much. My glucose level when first taken was above 26. I was immediately put on gliclizide and metformin but, unfortunately, the latter didn’t agree with me. My glucose level came down slowly. I did realise, however, that the problem wasn’t going to go away and urgent remedial measures were necessary. I had always eaten healthily, never living on microwaved food, so that change wasn’t open to me. But I cut down on drinking wine, got a dog and started walking. I’m convinced that, for me, walking is the key. I’m 64 now and average two to three hours a day just walking. I’m not competing with anyone, I’m not dressing up in sports gear, I’m just gently walking — and I’m healthier now than I was 15 years ago. My weight is now 13 stone, not Twiggy but comfortable for me. My glucose level is 5.6 and

has been constant for several years. I would say to anyone that Type 2 diabetes is preventable if caught early and containable if you find it at an advanced stage, as I did when my eyesight was at serious risk. Don’t ignore it and, once diagnosed, deal with it. Have all the checks the NHS offers and remember the key to winning the fight against diabetes lies within the patient.

PATRICIA SIMPSON, Colchester, Essex.

sIr Muir gray, who reckons type 2 diabetes is ‘walking deficiency syndrome’, should be informed that my 68-year-old husband was diagnosed with it three years ago. He was an athlete when he was young and has walked all his life. He has always been active and now walks more than 70 miles a week. He’s very slim, has always eaten healthily, never eats sugar, fat or trash, has never smoked or overindulged in alcohol. so can sir Muir explain to me what on earth he’s on about? He can’t lump everyone together. It’s hard enough for my husband to be type 2 diabetic without some silly comment by someone who should know better.

LIZ HUTTON, Hawick, Roxburghshire.

SIR Muir Gray doesn’t know what he’s talking about. My husband is a Type 2 diabetic who worked as a roofing slater and tiler until he was 67. He was up and down a ladder all day loading, balancing on muscles during the placement of slates/tiles and mixing up cement by hand with a shovel. He looked after a large garden and we would put in long coastal walks at the weekend. I don’t call that a sedentary lifestyle. He did like a glass of cider at the end of the day — but why not after all that work? His diabetes wasn’t picked up until he was in need of a knee replacement when he was 70. Our son, who also works hard in a manual job, is also a Type 2 diabetic. Both my husband and son have mannish bodies, large muscles and little fat. So it’s not just couch potato living and laziness that causes diabetes. Sir Muir needs to do more research before stigmatising people.

JOY FOSTER, Saltash, Cornwall.