SilentAssassin1642
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I've just watched a very interesting documentary called "Inside the body of Henry VIII" - you know what I'm like with my Tudor history. Anyone who is interested in history, look it up, it was a history channel production.
It looked at the deteriorating heath of Henry VIII, and how he turned from a sporty, dashing young prince into an obese, unhealthy recluse.
There was alot in it I didn't know, a lot I did. For instance, he suffered from bouts of fever including a bout of malaria which became chronic and affected him for the rest of his life, severe depression, a jousting accident (whereupon he was crushed by his own armour, his horse and his horses armour) which caused serious head unjury and leg injuries, varicose ulcers brought on by his tight hose and also his accident and ultimately, he had the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
There are arguments that his own brother, Arthur, and his illigimate son henry Fitzroy passed away from Type 1 diabetes, both of them complaining of an unquenchable thirst, losing vast amounts of weight and eventually succumbing.
However when you look at the evidence of Henry and Type 2 (that's not to say that all type 2's are self inflicted as Henry would have been, heck even Henry may not have been, it could have been genetic - who knows it was nearly 500 years ago!)
All in all, a very convincing argument I think and I would give the world to be able to look into his medical records, go back in time and check his blood sugar!
The histoians in the documentary (including one of my favourite historians Robert Hutchinson) argued that uncontrolled type 2 was the ultimate cause of his death, with his ulcerous legs causing a huge stink (they were literally rotting away from him!), his huge weight and his very poor diet all contributing.
So what do we think? (remember, I say it may not have been lifestyle induced and possibly genetics - due to t2 not necessarily being lifestyle induced - but the historian in me has looked at the facts from this documentary as well as past reading and I really think that in Henry's case, his problems were his own doing)
It looked at the deteriorating heath of Henry VIII, and how he turned from a sporty, dashing young prince into an obese, unhealthy recluse.
There was alot in it I didn't know, a lot I did. For instance, he suffered from bouts of fever including a bout of malaria which became chronic and affected him for the rest of his life, severe depression, a jousting accident (whereupon he was crushed by his own armour, his horse and his horses armour) which caused serious head unjury and leg injuries, varicose ulcers brought on by his tight hose and also his accident and ultimately, he had the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
There are arguments that his own brother, Arthur, and his illigimate son henry Fitzroy passed away from Type 1 diabetes, both of them complaining of an unquenchable thirst, losing vast amounts of weight and eventually succumbing.
However when you look at the evidence of Henry and Type 2 (that's not to say that all type 2's are self inflicted as Henry would have been, heck even Henry may not have been, it could have been genetic - who knows it was nearly 500 years ago!)
- A very poor diet consisting of huge amounts of red meat, pies, sweets, 70 pits of ale per week as well as countless bottles of wine sweetened with sugar.
- Weighing over 400 lb, being unable to excersise
- Ulcerous legs which may have been a sign of nueropathy - he did have very poor circulation!
- Diminishing eyesight (retinopathy?)
- Horrific moodswings - caused by uncontrolled high blood sugar levels?
All in all, a very convincing argument I think and I would give the world to be able to look into his medical records, go back in time and check his blood sugar!
The histoians in the documentary (including one of my favourite historians Robert Hutchinson) argued that uncontrolled type 2 was the ultimate cause of his death, with his ulcerous legs causing a huge stink (they were literally rotting away from him!), his huge weight and his very poor diet all contributing.
So what do we think? (remember, I say it may not have been lifestyle induced and possibly genetics - due to t2 not necessarily being lifestyle induced - but the historian in me has looked at the facts from this documentary as well as past reading and I really think that in Henry's case, his problems were his own doing)
