Two questions. One about coffee and one about diabetes.

Factual Questions
1

  1. Why does coffe make me pee like crazy ? I love coffee, but I only drink 2 cups in the morning and all morning I run to the bathroom every 10 minutes, when I’m done it doesn’t feel like I have to go again, but ten minutes later I’m back again. I’m sure the coffee is doing this because later on I don’t have this problem,

  2. I have heard that diabetes can be passed on to family members. Does sex have anything to do with it ? I wondering about this, because my mother in law had diabetes and died from complications of it, my husband does not have it, but both of his sisters do. I don’t know if it matters, but the sisters look exactly like mom and my husband looks exactly like dad.

Thanks.

2

Just a lay person’s answer here - but I always understood that coffee/caffeine had a diuretic effect on most people. It need need not have anything to do with diabetes - jsut a downside of drinking coffee.

3

Some people are more susceptible to the diuretic effects than others. I am very susceptible, but I’m not keen anyway on strong coffee so keep to very weak stuff.

Bizarrely, I am complete unsusceptible to the stimulant properties of caffeine. Even taking it in pill form has never helped me stay awake. The heat and the sugar in my coffee may perk me up temporarily, but no more than - if not less than - a nice cup of tea.

4

I am diabetic. Diabetes is an inherited disorder. But I have never heard of it being related to the sex of the person who had it in your family.

There are a few genetic traits that are linked to sex -for example Calico cats are always female. But most diseases don’t care what sex you are.

5

It depends on what type of diabetes. Type II diabetes is more prevalent in women, but the incidence of Type I is similar for both men and women.

If your sisters-in-law got it during adulthood, then it’s likely Type II. If they were diagnosed when they were children, then it’s Type I.

6

calico cats aren’t always female. Males are rare, but they do occur.

http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/tricolors.shtml

7

Apparently decaffinated coffee is also a diuretic, so it’s not just the caffeine.

When I read this I thought you were asking if diabetes was a STD…

8

Diabetes is strongly influenced by genes.

For Type I diabetes (IDDM), if your father has it, your chance of developing it is 5 to 10%. If your mother has it and she is over age 25 or so when you’re born, your chance of getting IDDM is about 2%. If she’s under age 25, your chance is about 4%. If your sibling has it, the chance is about 10%.

For Type II diabetes (NIDDM), if an immediate family member is affected, your chance is about 25%. If two or more are affected, your chance is about 50%.

Much of this is summarized on the web (eg. here). I also recall seeing this on the SDMB recently, but can’t locate the thread. I’ll keep looking.

9

Here it is:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=110456

10

Coffee is not only a diuretic, but caffeine can be a bladder irritant. If you are suseptible to bladder infections, the caffeine can be MURDER.

If you GOTTA have the caffeine buzz…drink more water. You will still end up going tinkle constantly, but you’ll at least flush (pun intended) the irritant out of your bladder.
~VOW