I agree 100% with you. It seems every article ever written on diabets does not stay what type they are talking about, and there is a big difference in each type.

"At risk, even if slim
But even young people with a slim waistline were more likely to have diabetes if they lived in the belt than if they lived outside it, the researchers found."

Also noting this belt overlaps the heart attack belt due to Obesity.... cut the food from this area then maybe u can figure it out

Oh, great. Another excuse for the feds to rape our liberties. It's all for our own good though. That makes it okay....doesn't it?

Most of you bashing the "fat slobs" in the south have never even been there.

I wonder if the health insurance companies will use this report as an excuse to raise rates in these states

It's politically incorrect to differentiate between different types of diabetes. That would imply that Type II diabetics might be somewhat preventable, which would in turn imply that people had at least some responsibility for managing their health through diet and exercise. As long as we pretend Type II diabetes strikes randomly (like Type I or gestational diabetes) there's no stigma attached to having it.

Stigma isn't much fun for the very rare person who truly does have a thyroid or glandular problem and who is unfairly assumed to be overeating and not exercising. But the vast majority of people (even many skinny people) don't have serious medical issues that really do prevent exercise or cause weight gain. People are more likely to have medical issues that are brought on or aggravated by the extra weight or by medication that frequently isn't right for them.

Most people in industrialized countries simply participate in obesian (that is to say, obesity-friendly or obesity-positive) culture. Routine overeating, ignorance about how many calories they actually consume, a preference for greasy, calorie-laden processed foods, use of food as a treat, and a preference for sedentary leisure activities are part of the culture in most industrialized countries.

Another aspect of obesian culture is over-medication. We really love to pop our pills instead of addressing the root cause of a problem, because we believe in instant, bottled, marketable solutions. Obesian culture places a premium on instant gratification. We also have a sense of entitlement that's just as inflated as our waistlines. We really believe that every little bump or ache justifies a prescription or an extended break from the gym or the treadmill. This means that for every person who really is injured, we've got umpteen slackers. For everyone who really needs to be on a prescription that might cause weight gain as a side effect, we have umpteen who don't, or who might be better served with a different product.

I'm not suggesting that stigma is the solution to obesian culture, but surely we've got some options besides pretending we (as patients) have no control over whether we get Type II diabetes.

I agree the article should state what type they are talking about. However, you can be lazy and stupid and have Type I. It is not nice to call people names. Shame on you.

Just points out that in America we have different people with different culture/societal norms, with different views on health/risk factors, with different eating habits, living in different areas. That is why one single health care system will not work in the US like it might (sorta) work in other smaller countries with more homogeneous populations. What we do need instead of artificial insurance overhaul, is more research into prevention and management of chronic diseases. The amount of money potentially saved via effective managing chronic disease was estimated ~$130 billion per year. That's more than the health care law plans to save over 10 years.

Well I live in the South and we eat like pigs. I have changed my eating habits. Now I grill every weekend in the summer. Let me say that it is slowly changing because the Churches in the South are now telling the people to stop eating like pigs because it maybe a sin since the Bible does say to take care of your body. The church always skipped the food part. The church would say not to smoke, not to drink beer etc but never ever use to tell their fat members to stop eating yourself to death. I wanted to run around the church the first time I heard it but I was at a funeral of a person whom die of diabetes. The family was OK with it. Yes, the preacher asked. Plus type 2 diabetes can turn into type 1.

Double Entendre

I wonder if the health insurance companies will use this report as an excuse to raise rates in these states

Double Trouble, the Health-care companies charge rates based on pools. The rates in those States are much higher because the people in those States use the insurance at a much higher rate because of the health problem due to eating. I live in one of those States. That is the reason the insurance companies can not sale insurance across State lines. It may cause the for profit insurance companies to lose money. It will cause the insurance to lose money if they do not have a good pool of healthy vs unhealthy and the rates are forced to be low because of competition.

It's a systemic problem in the South. Ironically, mild weather, lowest exercise rates, highest in obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, etc. In days gone by the vegetable and fruit intake was high and due to poverty--no longer. You can speculate all you wish about what type of diabetes, but it's about lifestyle. Type 1 or 2 hasn't a clue where a person lives.

I wonder... of the research dollars collected, how much funding goes to curing, preventing, and detecting Type I, gestational, and auto-immune, and how much goes to management of Type II?

@Joesnopy: Type 2 diabetes cannot turn into type 1! Just because someone is on insulin doesn't automatically make them type 1. The causes of each disease are different--thus, making them different diseases with the same complications. Type 2 is when someone is unable to make ENOUGH insulin to regulate normal blood sugars, whereas type 1 is when the body doesn't make ANY insulin at all because it's an autoimmune disease. You are only further heightening the misconceptions between the differences of type 1 and type 2, and your ignorance is exactly why I wish the article would have differentiated.

type 1 only affects less than .5% of all diabetes patients, so its a very small number. When there are studies and research about diabetes you can always assume they will be talking about type 2 because that is what is actually done by the choices we make (food and excercise) and you can keep living with it day to day without and real symtoms. Not to mention there are more people undiagnosed that have then diagnosed. that is the scary part. By 2040 almost half of this country will have it. If you have type 1 you will be dead in a few days once you get it because its an insulin dependant disease and your body (the pancreas) is not making any insulin at all. I read all of these comments and I got to laugh because this why we are at this point, lack of knowledge and how to prevent it. Yes you can prevent type 2 diabetes and reverse its effects if you are dx. You people worry about "why the article isn't making the distinction between the two." That is not the problem or what is wrong with the article!!! Who cares, type 2 is most people have and what is crippling healthcare...type 1 you know you have it bc you will be dead if you don't!!! It is such a small percentage of the whole population....wow

@Only "If you have type 1 you will be dead in a few days once you get it." You laugh at others because of their lack of knowledge? REALLY? You obviously do not know about type 1! I was diagnosed at 10 and it was a couple of months before I discovered I had it. My mom noticed that my hair was thinning. I was sleeping right after school and lost weight.

I don't think you understand the frustrations of type 1 diabetics. I have lived 25 years with this disease and there has never been this attention to the disease until type 2 became an epidemic. Not until it became a cash cow did people really care. Just because I am in such a small percentage does not mean type 1 diabetics deserve less innovation with care and possible cures! I certainly hope you are never diagnosed with an "uncommon" disease and are told, "Well...you are part of so few...we're not going to help you as much!" To this I quote you, "wow".

I'm sorry you missed my point totally...I was DX at 2 years old!!!! OK so I don't

want to hear it...my point was not to reduce care and innovation because of the small percentage of people like us. ANd you are right it is a cash cow for type 2 and not so much for us...so I get it, they follow the money train. I should have just re-read what I wrote, but I was writing off my the top of my head from the hip. My point was to comment on the article about why they don't specify on type 2 vs type1 when articles are written they usually only write about type2 without disclosing it. They never distinguish the two. Because it leads to confusion. Most people have type 2 so thats why it is written about more often. Im am done with this conversation. I feel like I am talkng in circles with you people.

Heaven forbid we should teach people, though, that diabetes is caused by overeating, poor diet and inactivity. You see how mad people are that Michelle Obama suggested they shouldn't shove twinkies down their kids' throats and let them weight 500 pounds in kindergarten.

Heaven forbid we should teach people, though, that diabetes is caused by overeating, poor diet and inactivity.

This is not true of Type 1 diabetes or Gestational Diabetes.

bonos rama---I think she's the finest 1st lady we've had in a long time. Leading by example with a White House veggie garden is another example. Progress sometimes means going back to what worked. Eat vegetables, fruit, limit excessive sugars and fats, and be active. Some act like it's a sin for her to suggest that we be healthier--I agree.

I think this article is clearly referring to the type of diabetes that results from lifestyle and higher rates of obesity. Not the kind you are born with.

Just anecdotally, my Aunt is severley over weight. Our family hails from Louisiana and so she cooks and eats a lot of unhealthy food. I didn't realize how greasy and bad it was until I was grown and she sometimes visits and tries to do us a favor by making a home cooked meal. I can't even eat it anymore.

Anyway, my cousin who is 6 years old, lives with my Aunt. She is not overweight in the least. She's tiny. But recently the Doc. told her Mom and my aunt that she was pre-diabetic and they had to cut back on certain foods. Fat chance of that happening since my Aunt has been diabetic for years and refuses to do anything that would help her lose weight and reverse her diabtes.

Well since 1997 I've have been a #2 diabetic. And at that time I weighted 230 lbs. And yes I do still have bacon, sausage and a few snacks here and there. But I truely think that the problem isn't us, as in we diabetics. Or so much our diets or habits we tend to delve into. I honestly beleive that our foods are processed and bleached and modified until the fiber and vitamins that our foods contain, our bodies metabolisms no longer needs work to digest our foods. Thus making the foods go straight to sugars. And I'll bet that our government agencies are well aware of the problems...

If you don't beleive what I've said, try eating oats, rice <(not the quick kind) and boiled eggs and any other more basic foods you can think of. Beans and corn bread, green beans or salads. Bake a cake using whole grains. Try them for a week and see if you don't feel better and stronger and far more energetic. And I also well drain all fats from my foods as much as possible using paper towels and paper plates. I feel that the closer to a natual food, that it has to be better for you. After all we have survived many milleniums here on earth. Now I weight 170 ish and I feel great...

Well, lets see... first they want you to watch what you eat or it is Diabetic coma! Don't smoke or its Lung cancer! And the list goes on and on....then the government says there isn't enough SS or medicare.. they want to raise the age you can retire... hmm sounds like they just want to tax us longer and die just before we collect. Bet they got that almost figured out too.

There is a lot of misinformation on this board about diabetes. I have read many posts suggesting that diabetes in general can be avoided by eating right and taking care of yourself. This is true in less than half of type 2 diabetics. More than half are rooted in genetics, and yes, I'm talking about type 2. It is true that living healthy and staying in shape will help to prevent the onset of diabetes but this is foremost a delay. There are many physically fit type 2's out there. Also, type 2 does NOT turn into type 1 - it's completely separate. One more misconception I see repeated on here; type 2 diabetes is not necessarily the body not making enough insulin to control blood glucose. In fact, some type 2's produce normal and even high insulin but their cells are no longer able to process the normal exchange of sugar from the blood, therefore the blood sugar increases. Many of you probably do not understand the difficulty diabetics face in maintaining their health. It has been understood that diabetes drives many deseases such as dementia, Alzheimer's, heart desease, eye desease (macular degeneration), etc. But recent studies have shown that diabetes also drives hunger. The higher the blood glucose - the more the body craves food. On the other hand, high blood sugar also drives lethargy and lack of energy. High blood sugar makes you feel tired, wrung out and exhausted. It is an insiduous desease that most often works against your efforts to control and maintain it. Then there are the government restrictions - did you know that a professional driver will lose his/her CDL if they go on insulin to control diabetes? If you're diabetic, forget the military as a career option. Diabetes does not mean a person is lazy or unambitous. It is a life-changer.

I believe the reason they didn't differentiate here is because it doesn't particularly matter in terms of statistical analysis used to make the "diabetes belt" determination. Assuming the incidences of type 1 and other in-born diabetes disorders are constant throughout the country, the only type of diabetes that would factor into a difference in rates between states/counties would be type 2.

So, while the scale of the difference would change depending on whether or not the researchers polled for type 2 exclusively, I doubt that the determination of the areas in particular trouble would be any different. If the variability in rates of non-type 2 diabetes is low throughout the entire country, which I'd think it is, then the differences in type 2 sufferers would still be obvious after analysis accounted for the standard rate of non-type 2 diabetes.

Clearly, there's a big difference between type 2 diabetes and the rest but, in this particular case, I don't think it factored into the statistical determination of the "diabetes belt" area.

NutritionPerfected.com/np-blog.html

This is probably where most people have been convinced that the first lady is going to steal the forks out of their mouths.

you cant educate the walking ignorant. once u leave high school/college at an ignorant level you fall back onto ignorant things u learned from parents aunts uncles. pointless to try to stand taller than that.

VIVA WRESTLING!!!! U seen stone cold is back?

It's pretty clear this article is about type 2 diabetes. The kind that results from poor eating habits and lack of exercise. When most people think of diabetes, this is the kind that comes to mind.

This website is HORRIBLE at making the distinction between type 1 and type 2. In fact I think I've only read one article here that did a good job a distinguishing between the two. As a 'news site' that is really deplorable. Does the person writing or editing these stories have any medical knowledge?

I really disagree with the poster who said it is politically incorrect to distinguish between the two since type 2 carries a stigma. So we shouldn't bother distinguishing between the different types of cancer either? (To the posters credit they may have clarified this in their post later but I stopped reading - it was just too much)

grats on trying to suck more people into some wacko religion. isnt this the same one that feasts on young children also?

Grats on thinking you are mightier than others to know what LDS stands for. I think you are SFS.

the lds also take 10% out of you .and you must pay it! so you cant buy food.

a.k.a utah mafia

Americans better wise up and read the back of the packages....corporations started putting "high fructose corn syrup in everything!!!!!

How about the hormones put in milk, meats etc....this had an effect on young girls going through puberty earlier........

the bottom line is greed!! America wake up. Check out what MONSANTO is doing to our food supply..... might want to watch FOOD INC

@bspurloc and tony-2804825...Whether you believe the LDS religion is "wacko" or not is completely irrelevant. The Word of Wisdom is just simply a good thing to live by. A person pointing out that the LDS people follow a "health code" of sorts isn't their way of pulling someone into their religion. It is simply their way of passing on great information. As a Southerner and an LDS church member, I see the dual sides. The LDS church tries to teach to everyone to choose foods that will keep your body healthy and abstain from harmful substances and the typical Southern diet is full of greasy, fatty, unwise food choices. Anyway, I just don't think it was necessary to be so

To bsburloc; you just show your stupidity. LDS Church hasnt practiced poligamy in 120 years! Funny they came up with very little meats, lots of grains, fruits and veggies. No alcohol or tobacco almost 200 years ago and are amoung the 2 healthiest states? A lot of the 10% goes to charities all over the world, unless you know, keep you mouth shut.

To Flag Waver---It is odd that Dow and Monsanto, (both--agent orange) are now involved in our food supply.

Greg: Ignore bspurloc. I understand you were referring to taking care of our bodies. There are lots of ways to do it. Thanks for the tip.

By the way - Now that I think about it, I don't see a whole lot of fat mormons running around. Do you bspurloc?

[bspurloc] ...I am not a Mormon (although I am Christian) but I see no reason to smack on anyone's faith. Maybe if you believed in anything at all, you would understand. Your comment was inconsiderate, hateful, and intolorant - therefore, I must assume you are a liberal.

you mean Maple Syrup? that comes from the North East which isnt part of this belt!

Sorry yank, but neither grits nor CoW are particularly good...too many carbs, too little fiber. Steel cut oatmeal is the best choice.

This is the dumbest thead. Everything in moderation.

Agreed, acsmith. I live in West Virginia, have all of my teeth, weigh 120 lbs and, am in perfect health at 49 years old. I also eat anything I want (including real butter and King Syrup on my grits) but, I don't sit on my rear and watch T.V. all day. I work, I teach, I farm.........remember farming? Everything in moderation is right.

Ah, farming. Becoming a lost art.

Needs to come back. With more people having to grow their own food, they will spend less time being a couch potato and more time hilling the potatoes.

I hate cream of wheats. I prefer grits, which are fat free and low calorie. It's all about the way you eat them. Same with cream of wheat. If you pour a bunch of sugar, cream, and butter on a bowl of cream of wheat, you may as well just skip the cereal and pour the butter, sugar, and milk fat directly into your body. Skip the middle man.

Well, lets see... first they want you to watch what you eat or it is Diabetic coma! Don't smoke or its Lung cancer! And the list goes on and on....then the government says there isn't enough SS or medicare.. they want to raise the age you can retire... hmm sounds like they just want to tax us longer and die just before we collect. Bet they got that almost figured out too.

well, with all that risk, they'll all die off faster...course I bet their birth rates are much higher, so there will be more uneducated large folk to follow in their teaparty footsteps.

Not all of us are still fighting the Civil War. Not all of us are racist members of the KKK. Not all of us are right-wing Republicans. Not all of us whine about the federal government. Stop generalizing when you obviously can't speak for the entire Southern population. Need I remind you, Sarah Palin is not from the South. She is from Alaska. There is stupid everywhere.

It's funny how any reference to the South elicits comments of anti-Southern bigotry. I lived in the Northeast for several years; one would be hard pressed to find individuals who are bigger "legends in their own minds" than New York residents; it would also be hard to find a group that spits phlegm, digs in their respective noses, and grabs at their respective "nether regions" in public more than a New Yorker.

It sounds to me like YOU are "still fighting the Civil War" with your Anti-South antics. We can make generalizations about the North too. I think we are all Americans regardless of geographic region, and there is plenty of good in the south just as the north.

Well spoke TG3149711. Except one of Sarah's strongholds, and Michele Bachmann's also, is the southern Bible-God-guns-antifed-diabetes belt. Reputations are, more often than not, earned. Let me ask you - Do you think there might be ANY validity to all the science of genetics? And then, learning that science might be beneficial when making life-based decisions? Anything other than God-driven creationism is hard to sell below the Mason-Dixon line. Faulkner, a native Mississippian, in his literature, made the point that carpet-baggers raped the South because the locals were stupid enough to be conned. If you aren't any of the things you claim all Southerners are, I feel sorry for you. You must vote for a lot of losing politicians.

Mnmule, it's obvious your family tree doesn't fork. In regards to the south taking in more money from the feds than paying in, I guess you don't count California, New York, or any of the vast majority of states in this predicament. Just another reason to bash someone with opposing views. As long as turds like this exist in our society in numbers, our odds of being the leader of the free world is greatly diminished.

Nope, your wrong - the largest share of medicaid payout is in New York and California - the other 48 states have to fund medicaid for the "superior" states!

7.8- And all those clowns from CA and NY think they are soooo much better than the rest of us because of where they live. Both places are full of self-centered folks who presume to tell everyone else what to eat and how to live.

And yes, they have type 2 diabetes too.

Yeah, it is society's fault again, not the people who are not exercising or doing "push aways".

Chris, do you suffer from penis envy?

In the words of Shrek, "I think he's tryin' to compensate for somethin'."

Deo Vindice, Chrissy.

Chris, do you have a problem with anyone who's overweight, or is it just those who live in the south? Chill baby! Perhaps you are angry because you perceive that the whole world is against you?

Yeah, hops and barley are added to the water, that's the problem, along with too many fried foods.

Does it affect pregnancies, too?

I don't think there is a single water supply for all those states. There are plenty of private wells out there, too.

true, but did you know type 2 diabetes is more heritable and genetic than type 1?

The article should have distinguished what type they are speaking of. Type I and Type II are completely different. Don't believe me? Do some research on how many people want the names changed and their reasoning. The only reason they have been grouped together is because each condition's effects on the blood glucose content.

Most people inherit the tendency to contract Type 2, and yes, it can be managed quite easliy with a few minor changes in diet and medication. I know this from first hand experience...went from an A1C of 12.6 to 5.6 in less than 1 year with the changes I made. Gave up white bread, eating more protein less carbs and moderate exercise.

LOL! I hear you on all of that! About 2 weeks ago, an aquaintance asked me if I was anorexic! 5'6", 120 lbs? Anorexic?

And, your point is?

Trust me it's not their diet, it's their medications....look to the big bloated pharmaceutical ccompanies.

I am 5'7" and currently weigh about 130 pounds. Back when I was 120 from a childhood of athletics, I was told by people I looked better with more weight. All it was was fat. I would prefer to get back to 120 and stay that way. If people have a problem with that, it is their problem and not mine!

Oh no. It's diet. I live in the south. Always have and always will, especially after reading such nasty, ignorant remarks from people who are not southern. My point is that all the remarks made about "eating less" are logical, but it is not that simple when food is a cultural aspect of being southern. Also, as someone who lives in the south I assure you that proper diet and exercise are not a great part of education for our children.and if it was perhaps we could change this aspect of our culture.

Well said acsmith!

I too am Southern...raised on fried chicken, fried okra, pecan pie and a sweet tea. I had to break that habit once I had children and realized change has to start with me. When it's above 100 degrees with humidity hanging in the air for weeks, you bet I want to lay around in the air conditioning.

Honestly, I can't afford to be Type II diabetic. It's a little more expensive to eat healthy, but not as much as the medication and doctor visits!

My response might be even more bizarre than your question.

There's no systematic way to differentiate between a problem caused by bad choices and one caused by bad luck. There's too much gray area. As long as we continue to believe there is (or should be) a system-based answer to the problems of individuals, we'll continue to have people gaming the system.

When people had no choice but to rely on family, friends, or a religious organization for support in illness or old age, they had an incentive to cultivate the kind of social relationships instead of, say, abusing or taking advantage of the people around them. They also had an incentive to stay as healthy and productive as possible, and to be as helpful as they could if they had to rely on others for support. Now we've gone to the other extreme, so that support is provided by the government. So the incentive to pull one's own weight and exercise moderation and responsibility is gone. In fact there's incentive to be as lazy, gluttonous, and antisocial as we wanna be.

As long as there's a safety net for us if things get bad enough, we're entitled to refuse to manage whatever addictions, illnesses, or other problems we have, and to create new ones for ourselves. Meanwhile our peers are legally obligated to protect us from the consequences of our actions. The law forces them to pay taxes and pick up our tab. Sure, we pay the physical price when we do that and we tend to be a lot sicker and to die a lot younger, but we won't go down without taking a lot of other people with us. We've created legally mandated codependency.

Both extremes are equally ridiculous and inhumane. I don't think there are any easy answers.

I noticed you forgot sexual choices. Aids anyone?

We are not all poor and fat. Besides, there are dollar menus and McDonalds worldwide, not just in the South. There are strip malls all over the country as well. I, personally, am not poor or fat. I have lived in the South all of my life except for about 6 months when I lived in Rhode Island. I am well-educated and make healthy decisions. That being said, my 104 year-old great-grandmother was diabetic (not overweight), my 77 year-old grandmother is diabetic (not overweight) and her brother (who worked for the CDC and is not overweight) has diabetes. In my family, it is hereditary. For us, it has little to do with diet or exercise. It's in our genes. To call us fat, helpless Southerners is not only ignorant, it's offensive to those of us who don't fall into that category. I lived near Boston for a while when I was younger, and the thing that struck me was how great the people were. It truly is a great city with so many things to do and see. It's just a shame that people from other places simply assume that all people from the South are ignorant rednecks who do nothing but draw a welfare check, drink Mt. Dew, and run through a McDonalds drive thru. I try my best to not generalize an entire population based on television or the internet. It's a shame that more people don't do the same.

Ok, Tennessee Girl, I'll stop grinning at your efforts to moderate the stereotype and offer some support. Let's admit our type is outnumbered, but still of substantial numbers. We're older, small town Texans, but I served as a USMC officer, got a PhD from a Big 10 school, retired as a DoD research scientist. My wife and I, and our kids and grandkids, are well educated, political moderates, with no obesity and a lot of athleticism, not aligned with any church, doing well financially, and we have a lot of similar friends. We're a minority, but we're sure enjoying today's 77 degree temperatures.

I just had this mental image of a fast food restaurant tiptoeing around, hiding behind a tree, and attacking an unsuspecting jogger. Minutes later, the jogger staggers free, penniless and a hundred pounds heavier.

2liberal - I appreciate the support! It just frustrates me to see all members of one certain population grouped together. All people are different. Being from one particular geographic location does not make one stupid, crazy, or a criminal any more than being a particular religion makes you a terrorist. Your post made me smile! Those early spring days sure are nice!

RAWilliams1974 - Your post made me laugh out loud!! That paints a great meantal picture!

All anyone has to do is watch Paula Deen's cooking show to see how the majority of Southerners eat. I was raised by parents from the South. Raised on biscuits cooked in bacon fat, veggies with the life cooked out of them for an hour and with lots of bacon or ham or the fat from same added to them. Lots of butter. Then there was sweet tea. Very sweet tea. Yes, fat adds flavor, but it is bad for a person. Most of what we ate was fried. Oh, we ate healthy foods (greens, beans), but the stuff we put on them and the way they were cooked was definitely not healthy. Grits: A starch that is usually doctored up with lots of butter. Ditto for oatmeal. Desserts at every meal except breakfast. When I was young, I was obese, but when I was older the pounds came on. The damage had been done by my earlier bad eating. Now I cook nutritious foods, and I rarely fry foods. My butter is kept to buying about 4 pounds a year. I use olive oil, grape seed oil. I am no longer obese. It was hard work, and I had to change my taste in foods, but it is well worth it.

How do you cook biscuits in bacon fat?

Your source of acedicmic expertise is the food network????? Even us stupid southernerns know that the food network is a for profit cable chanel that profits from sensationalized shows. Yes Paula Dean is over the top and let me assure you that even southerners laugh about that! I believe Guy Ferreri spends as much time in the north east and midwest as he does in the south. There is unhelathy food every where. Do southerners have a food tradition absolutely, does that make us all ignorant stupid fat people, NO!!!! Many regions have food traditions that don't promote the healthiest food, philly cheese steaks, pizza (thin crust or deep dish), lots of corn products etc. Many of these are not healthy. One problem is the higher cost of healthy eating and training young taste buds. The good news is that many southern towns and cities have a growing slow food movement that is not only emphasizing less processed food, it is also bringing back the appeal of the many wonderful farmers markets (and I don't mean whole foods or chain stores) and even encouraging healthier eating. I bet you haven't seen much about that in your very authoratative sources. Y'ALL need to keep your sudo-educated opinions about southern politics and education out of this argument. It greatly diminishes the bigger issue which is finding ways to on a grand scale educate folks across the country (including the south) about moderation and making healthy over all life choices. I will never give up having a glass of sweet tea once in awhile, but I choose to only do it once in a while. I will never give up my pecan pie, but I choose to only eat it a couple times a year. I love good barbecue (not that stuff the rest of you do on the grill), but again it is for special occasions. I am extremely proud of my heritage including the food heritage, but I was fortunate to be brought up to recognize that too much of anything is not healthy.

Uh, maybe the increase in diabetes is directly related to all the Northerners that have inundated the South. Seriously, I've met quite a few Northern Transplants that were sedentary, overweight, glutonous and ignorant (read: poorly educated). It's cultural, I suppose, as you'd think people would have been smart enough to chose the South over the North, but well...it took them a while...unfortunately that lifestyle is now trickling down here to the South...

fyi, if you can get off the prednizone, usually your diabetes will go away.

What is it with prednizone? Nearly all my father's family is put on it after they turn about 50, but I never heard of it before I moved south. It seems like such a horrible drug, with all the bruising, bloating, fatigue, organ damage, and other side effects. Also it creates a dependency such that once you're on it, you have to take it the rest of your life or you risk death. It sounds like heroin, except there's less of an up side.

What does prednizone do that makes it so heavily prescribed, and why is the appeal so regional?

Prednisone... a corticosteroid anti-inflammatory giant.

Yes, it can cause diabetes that usually (but not always) can be reversed when quitting the drug. Risk is associated with dose and length of time taking the drug.

1. I had Type II diabetes well before President Obama entered politics, so what is the connection to this vine?

2. The Party in control of the House is not allowing any monies for any type of research, especially medical.

3. Where are these death panels? I have yet to see or hear of any of these panels in our area. Again, what has this got to do with this vine?

No that's how libs. want to keep them.

Thank you for continuing to show your liberal ignorance. I'll take a genuine Southern conservative over a sanctimonious, bigoted jerk anyday.