Readers React: We’ve studied the Type 2 diabetes epidemic enough. It’s time for action.

To the editor: The Times sugarcoats the UCLA survey that shows 13 million Californians have diabetes or pre-diabetes. That “our genes and our environment are … on a collision course” does not say enough. (“Are you pre-diabetic? 46% of California adults are, UCLA study finds,” March 10)

If you are overweight or have an expanding waist, you are headed toward diabetes. Yes, our genes set the platform for our health, but our environment realizes it. Taxes on sugared beverages will not buy the health we all need. Educating the public has not been effective to date. In a free society, we cannot ban unhealthful foods, even if addictive. What to do?

Begin with the banning of food and drink while driving and walking, which is the standard in many other countries. Given the success of the ban on tobacco advertising on radio and TV in 1971, the federal government must take responsibility for the diabetes epidemic by banning advertisements on food and drink. Bring back mandatory physical education in our schools.

Enough with expensive studies. Now is the time for action.

Jerome P. Helman, MD, Venice

The writer is a gastroenterologist specializing in nutrition and preventive medicine.

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To the editor: I’d to thank you for bringing attention to the diabetes epidemic. While I agree that this preventable disease needs to be addressed, the article mentions an important fact briefly and only once: the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

As a Type 1 diabetic, my biggest struggle is explaining the difference between Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes, is commonly diagnosed before the age of 13; the people who have it no longer produce insulin.

Neither diet nor exercise can prevent Type 1 diabetes. People with the condition must inject insulin daily to offset any carbohydrate intake. In contrast, Type 2 diabetes commonly occurs in adulthood and is influenced by sedentary lifestyles and poor diet.

Please consider writing “Type 2 diabetes” in headlines. Many of us Type 1 diabetics lead very healthy lifestyles that include regular exercise and low-sugar diets.

Ashley Tiner, Laguna Beach

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To the editor: It seems to me the biggest change of the last few decades is the presence of a Starbucks or a similar chain store on every corner selling drinks masked as coffee that are actually shakes. It may be no coincidence that the “rates of diabetes have increased more than 175% nationally since 1980.”

It appears that half of America, both adults and children, go to work or school with a shake in their hand, either not realizing or accepting that the sugar, fat and calorie content is dangerous. With this change, on a daily basis, you have diabetes in a cup.

Elisabeth Bernhart, Lancaster

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