The most common type of diabetes is curable. The most serious type is largely preventable.
In France, people have no trouble remembering which type of diabetes is which. They use the term diabète maigre (thin diabetes) to refer to type 1 diabetes, the severe, incurable disease that results from damage to the pancreas. They use the term diabète gras (fat diabetes) to refer to the milder form of diabetes that goes away if you lose weight. If you have fat diabetes (type 2 diabetes), it means that you are naturally thin. Your body is resisting the effects of insulin to keep you from storing any more of the fat that you are eating. The surprising solution to this problem is to eat carbs and a lot more fiber! The low-fat, purely plant-based diet that reverses type 2 diabetes also helps to prevent type 2 diabetes. It is also useful in managing the rare, truly genetic forms of diabetes.
