# Disappointed with tonight's Letterman show. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 22, 2012, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611 "2012-02-22T06:30:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/1 "2012-02-22T06:30:20Z")
To start off with, I don’t know how to “cite” so anybody requiring hard-core facts is going to have to go fish. This is a place where I can vent. Alec Baldwin was Dave’s quest. (Both people I would think of as being intelligent and informed.) Apparently Alec was told he was “pre-diabetic.” When I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes I was told that you could no more be pre-diabetic than you could be a little bit pregnant. You either are or you’re not. Your pancreas is either firing on all cylinders…or it’s not. Anyway, Alec was talking about his new sugar-free diet which meant that he can no longer eat pasta because it becomes sugar. ??? Color me stoopit if I’m wrong, but I was taught that every single thing we eat or drink eventually breaks down into sugar. That’s the only form of nutrients that our cells can assimilate. Everything we ingest is like a time-release capsule; it’s only a question of how long it does take to ultimately break down into sugar. So, pasta isn’t a bugaboo. Vegetables break down into sugar, too, tho they take longer. Proteins take the longest time. The trick is to try to balance out the timing and choose fiber over “soft.” At one point Dave said “So you can no longer eat carrots?” I have no idea where he was coming from, tho at one point in my diet carrots tasted almost too sweet to me. Doubt if David Letterman has ever been on that strict of a diet. Next Dave said, more or less, “I’ve been thin ever since I was in college because I have a high metabolism.” Well, no. Not from what I’ve heard. (Was it Dr. Oz? Can’t remember.) Actually, naturally thin people have a low metabolism. Again, I can’t “cite” but I know what I’ve learned. It’s too bad that two fairly intelligent people who reach a LOT of other people could be passing on such fallacies. There. I said it. And I’m glad. AND to all those who swear potatoes are bad…pffft. It’s not potatoes that are bad. It’s all the stuff that people put on them that’s bad. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/2 "2012-02-22T07:04:04Z")
First off, you seem sorely uniformed regarding diabetes. The American Diabetes defines [prediabetes](http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/pre-diabetes/) as "blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. " Yes, it does exist. You can learn more by following the link. Second, all though it is true that everything you eat is eventually turned into glucose, many foods such as proteins or fats or first broken down and then the body makes glucose from the energy obtained. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are chains of sugar to begin with. For example [starches](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starch) such as pasta are made up of long chains of glucose. Thus when consumed they dump a large quantity of glucose into the bloodstream. This is what Alec was referring to, as the starch in pasta becomes glucose directly (as glucose is the building block of starch), whereas proteins and fats do not. In short, Alec knows what he is talking about. You however, do not. And since you have diabetes you really, _really_, need to read up on it more as it doesn’t seem like you understand some of the basic things about the disease. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/3 "2012-02-22T07:34:21Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > Color me stoopit if I’m wrong… :::Checks crayon box for the color Stoopit (and hoping I have two 'cause it looks like I gots a lot of coloring to do)::: ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/4 "2012-02-22T08:51:23Z")
While you’re looking up the other stuff, you could check out the definition of “cite”. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/5 "2012-02-22T09:38:57Z")
Nothing is ever as straightforward as we think. I think you will find the concept of [glycemic index](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index)\* very interesting. Seriously, check it out. \*trivia time: I was a resident in Jenkins’ unit at the time [his seminal article](http://www.ajcn.org/content/34/3/362.full.pdf) was published. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/6 "2012-02-22T09:44:28Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > And since you have diabetes you really, _really_, need to read up on it more as it doesn’t seem like you understand some of the basic things about the disease. I’m guessing that Becky’s doctor has decided that management through diet is not a good option for her. More info on pre-diabetes, and the foods that pre-diabetics should avoid: > **[Diabetes | Livestrong.com](https://www.livestrong.com/scat/diabetes/)** > > Our diabetes page provides information on diabetes, including symptoms, causes, treatment, lifestyle changes and support for people affected by diabetes. "At our diabetes page, we u... Baldwin’s comments (as reported) all seem reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/7 "2012-02-22T10:54:40Z")
I seem to recall Letterman losing a significant amount of weight in the early 90s after having gained more than he’d liked, and admitting that his “secret” involved being hungry all the time. “I’m STARVING right now,” he told a guest I can’t remember. So the claim about always being naturally thin, at least, seems questionable. ---
**Author:** ![santorum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/22d042/32.png) [@santorum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/santorum)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/8 "2012-02-22T12:15:09Z")
Has Dr. Oz walked back his apple juice comments? I can’t get the full episode(due to geographical reasons), but here is some of the highlights of the interview. [http://www.cbs.com/late\_night/late\_show/video/?pid=NDGLnSJTK6LnIcYSVAqoLoDR7PxNJg6W&nrd=1](http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/video/?pid=NDGLnSJTK6LnIcYSVAqoLoDR7PxNJg6W&nrd=1) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/9 "2012-02-22T12:19:02Z")
Wow-- I did NOT know much of this. As someone who should have diabetes by now (eat tons of sugar, carbs, starches), I really need to read up on this stuff. (Hmm, but if I do, will I have to cut back on my Food Friends?) Sorry you got such a strong reaction, Becky. But Fighting Ignorance ain’t pretty in the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/10 "2012-02-22T12:47:22Z")
Phew. After reading the OP I was worried that I was going to have to stop getting all my medical advice from late night talk shows. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/11 "2012-02-22T13:09:01Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Wow-- I did NOT know much of this. As someone who should have diabetes by now (eat tons of sugar, carbs, starches) And what I’ve heard—and I’m sure someone will be along to correct me if I’m wrong—is that eating lots of sugar/carbs does not put you at risk for diabetes if you don’t already have it, but being overweight does (as does having a family history of it). ---
**Author:** ![Valerieblaise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@Valerieblaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valerieblaise)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/12 "2012-02-22T13:27:22Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > To start off with, I don’t know how to “cite” so anybody requiring hard-core facts is going to have to go fish. This is a place where I can vent. > > Next Dave said, more or less, “I’ve been thin ever since I was in college because I have a high metabolism.” Well, no. Not from what I’ve heard. (Was it Dr. Oz? Can’t remember.) Actually, naturally thin people have a low metabolism. In addition to everything ELSE you got wrong, which is almost everything you posted, Letterman didn’t say this. He said he USED to be thin in college - 150 lbs - and he’d like to weigh that again. _Baldwin_ said he [Dave] didn’t look heavy, but Letterman said that he weighed more than he’d like. So… just… yikes. You can vent in the Pit, but you can’t just guess or make things up and expect not to be called on it. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/13 "2012-02-22T14:14:56Z")
> [@Valerieblaise](#): > > You can vent in the Pit, but you can’t just guess or make things up and expect not to be called on it. It is perfectly OK to vent about stuff like this in MPSIMS as well. I think things would have gone a little better for the OP if she had. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/14 "2012-02-22T14:35:01Z")
OP, could you satisfy my curiosity and share with us just how long ago you were diagnosed with diabetes? Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/15 "2012-02-22T14:37:25Z")
> [@santorum](#): > > Has Dr. Oz walked back his apple juice comments? > > I can’t get the full episode(due to geographical reasons), but here is some of the highlights of the interview. > [http://www.cbs.com/late\_night/late\_show/video/?pid=NDGLnSJTK6LnIcYSVAqoLoDR7PxNJg6W&nrd=1](http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/video/?pid=NDGLnSJTK6LnIcYSVAqoLoDR7PxNJg6W&nrd=1) Out of all the limitless possibilities for choosing a username and you picked THAT one? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/16 "2012-02-22T15:31:35Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > \ When I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes I was told that you could no more be pre-diabetic than you could be a little bit pregnant. You either are or you’re not. Your pancreas is either firing on all cylinders…or it’s not. \ What do you think happens? Your pancreas is working steadily and then suddenly goes _pop_ and quits functioning abruptly? From one moment to the next? Pregnancy = lousy analogy for deteriorating organs. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/17 "2012-02-22T16:01:30Z")
Thanks **digs.** I should take **PlainJane’s** advice and take it to MPSIMS next time. Then if the mods think it belongs in the Pit, they’ll move it. 😉 **kaylasdad99** I was diagnosed around 15 years ago. That’s when I was told a person is either diabetic or they’re not. I was on meds for only a short time. Believe it or not, **Gary Kumquat** , since then my diabetes has been managed by diet alone. I attended a class for a few weeks given by a dietician. That’s when I learned how food affects the body. Maybe she dumbed it down? I don’t know. Maybe _I’ve_ dumbed it down over the years to remember better. She stressed, tho, that we needed to eat a _balanced_ diet and only avoid sugar. I followed her plan and lost 70 lbs in about a year. (I had gained a lot of weight from meds taken for a previous illness. Since then I’ve yo-yo-ed depending on meds and mobility.) As usual, expected and appreciated, I’ve learned a lot from reading this thread. That’s what the SDMB is about. Not much mean-spiritedness here, more guidance than anything else. I did relay Alex and Dave’s (yeah, we’re on a first-name basis dontcha know) conversation as I perceived it and didn’t deliberately make stuff up. I was more concerned that they were misleading in their comments about food. It is true that everything breaks down into sugar. Here’s how I remember the diet I was on, (still am but not as strict) starting from the bottom up: sugar is sugar. Avoid it. Next comes fruit, then carbohydrates followed by vegetables and last, protein. Can’t remember where fats fit in. I know I restricted it so much she talked me into using a little butter on my potatoes and corn-on-the-cob. For reasons I’ve talked about in other threads I only “do” dairy a little bit. I eat garlic bread and pizza occasionally and that’s about it. Once or twice a year, ice cream but even now, just typing this, I’m getting a bad taste in my mouth and thinking Not so much. :eek: And **PlainJane** , the color Stoopit is always the one you don’t have so you have to go buy another box. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/18 "2012-02-22T16:13:46Z")
Dave probably asked about carrots because they have a very high sugar content, which is why carrot cake is a thing. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/19 "2012-02-22T16:43:15Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > \ When I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes I was told that you could no more be pre-diabetic than you could be a little bit pregnant. You either are or you’re not. Your pancreas is either firing on all cylinders…or it’s not. \ > > > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > > > What do you think happens? Your pancreas is working steadily and then suddenly goes _pop_ and quits functioning abruptly? From one moment to the next? > > > > Pregnancy = lousy analogy for deteriorating organs. Yeah, umm, > [@](#): > > Type 1 diabetes: results from the body’s failure to produce insulin, and presently requires the person to inject insulin. (Also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM for short, and juvenile diabetes.) > > Type 2 diabetes: results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with an absolute insulin deficiency. (Formerly referred to as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, NIDDM for short, and adult-onset diabetes.)[RIGHT][CITE](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus)[/RIGHT] AIUI; Type 1, all about the pancreas Type 2, way more fucking complicated. As the child of a mother and grandmother with Type 2 I know more about this than I really want to. ☹ It’s just a matter of time before that genetic time-bomb goes off in me. :mad: Fucking genes, what good thing have they ever done for me! CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611/20 "2012-02-22T16:43:34Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > It is perfectly OK to vent about stuff like this in MPSIMS as well. I think things would have gone a little better for the OP if she had. That is true. People would have used much more polite language to make clear that she is an uninformed dumbass. And if you "don’t know how to ‘cite,’ " you have no business engaging in factual discussions around here anyway. It’s fucking lame. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappointed-with-tonights-letterman-show/613611.md?page=2)