# Increase in prevalence of Type 1 diabetes: why? **URL:** \ **Category:** T1 Research\ **Tags:** research\ **Created:** [September 19, 2017, 5:10pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/increase-in-prevalence-of-type-1-diabetes-why/2064 "2017-09-19T17:10:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aaron](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/aaron/32/1454_2.png) [@Aaron](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Aaron)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 5:10pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/increase-in-prevalence-of-type-1-diabetes-why/2064/1 "2017-09-19T17:10:23Z")
> [@Study: salt intake increases incidence of T2D and LADA, yet?](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/study-salt-intake-increases-incidence-of-t2d-and-lada-yet/2050/4): > > However, there is evidence of a steady increase in T1 and LADA rates over the past 40-50 years. I have not done a study to prove a causal relationship, but I suspect that there would be a correlation between Type 1 diabetics living long enough to reproduce and pass on their genes and the increase of which you speak. Although I do not discount the environmental factors argument. ---
**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 5:12pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/increase-in-prevalence-of-type-1-diabetes-why/2064/2 "2017-09-19T17:12:30Z")
> [@Study: salt intake increases incidence of T2D and LADA, yet?](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/study-salt-intake-increases-incidence-of-t2d-and-lada-yet/2050/19): > > I suspect that there would be a correlation between Type 1 diabetics living long enough to reproduce and pass on their genes and the increase of which you speak. That was my first idea too! But I read accounts that mentioned researchers have modeled that and it cannot account for the increase. I did not read the research myself so I have no links. ---
**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/increase-in-prevalence-of-type-1-diabetes-why/2064/3 "2017-09-19T17:55:59Z")
> [@Aaron](#): > > Type 1 diabetics living long enough to reproduce and pass on their genes I had to check some direct research. I did find an interesting population study that supports your argument. They link the increase to both increase in life longevity (so T1s are present in population longer) and less natural selection pressure: > **[Type 1 diabetes prevalence increasing globally and regionally: the role of...](https://drc.bmj.com/content/4/1/e000161)** > > Objective Prevalence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) disease is increasing worldwide. We aim to test correlation of T1D prevalence to the reduced natural selection measured by Biological State Index (Ibs). > > Research design and methods Country-specific... I would be careful about taking theirs as the last word, though. I am pretty sure quite a few epidemiologists reject their interpretation. ---
**Author:** ![CatLady](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/catlady/32/36_2.png) [@CatLady](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/CatLady)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 7:43pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/increase-in-prevalence-of-type-1-diabetes-why/2064/4 "2017-09-19T19:43:09Z")
With better diagnostic capabilities now, adults who previously might have been or were DXed as T2 are now counted in the T1 population. I wonder how much this factor contributes to the increase? ---
**Author:** ![Beacher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a6a055/32.png) [@Beacher](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Beacher)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 8:13pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/increase-in-prevalence-of-type-1-diabetes-why/2064/5 "2017-09-19T20:13:59Z")
> [@CatLady](#): > > With better diagnostic capabilities now, adults who previously might have been or were DXed as T2 are now counted in the T1 population. I wonder how much this factor contributes to the increase? Like the sudden prevalence of Alzheimer’s. Whereas for a good couple thousand years people have simply gone batty or dotty. ---
**Author:** ![Jen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/jen/32/4777_2.png) [@Jen](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Jen)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/increase-in-prevalence-of-type-1-diabetes-why/2064/6 "2017-09-19T20:23:53Z")
There’s been a steady increase in _all_ autoimmune and allergic conditions over the past few decades. Even though all these conditions have different names and have very different symptoms, in a sense they’re all caused by the immune system failing to regulate itself and producing antibodies and other inflammation against a target that is harmless. I don’t think this is a story about Type 1 alone, but rather that the cause of all of these conditions is related, whatever that cause is (environmental factors, surviving longer, better diagnosis). ---
**Author:** ![jag1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed655f/32.png) [@jag1](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/jag1)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 8:34pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/increase-in-prevalence-of-type-1-diabetes-why/2064/7 "2017-09-19T20:34:55Z")
Anyone interested in reading a book on this topic can pick up “Diabetes Rising” by Dan Hurley. He is a T1 journalist who was aware of the increase in T1 and wrote this book to investigate the topic. He mentions both improved diagnosis, and lower natural selection losses (I like that euphemism for keeping us alive from Michel’s link!), but says that those are not sufficient to explain the extent of the increase. (Also note that in Michel’s link it says “Reduced natural selection may have contributed to the increasing T1D prevalence worldwide.” - not that it explains the whole increase). He has a chapter each for what he considers the best contenders - 1. population weight gain; 2. babies consuming cow’s milk instead of human milk; 3. persistent organic pollutants in the environment; 4. too little sun and vitamin D; 5. babies not exposed to enough environmental dirt setting up later autoimmune reaction. Personally I found the last one to be the most plausible, though clearly none of them could explain all the cases of T1. And none of them has enough evidence to be clearly the smoking gun (or even the favorite). So maybe it is some combination of these causes, or even some other cause not considered. So it is an interesting book, but unfortunately it doesn’t answer the question of why. Unfortunately, it seems that we just don’t have that answer yet. ---
**Author:** ![Sam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/sam/32/10595_2.png) [@Sam](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/increase-in-prevalence-of-type-1-diabetes-why/2064/8 "2017-09-19T20:48:03Z")
I second @jag1 's book suggestion, it is excellent ---
**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/increase-in-prevalence-of-type-1-diabetes-why/2064/9 "2017-09-19T20:48:11Z")
> [@jag1](#): > > a book on this topic can pick up “Diabetes Rising” by Dan Hurley. I had heard about the book but could not remember the title, thank you! Here is the link: > **[Diabetes Rising: Hurley, Dan: 9781607148302: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Diabetes-Rising-Dan-Hurley/dp/1607148307)** > > Diabetes Rising \[Hurley, Dan\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Diabetes Rising > [@jag1](#): > > lower natural selection losses (I like that euphemism for keeping us alive from Michel’s link!) Yeah… 🙂