I was born in 1970 and graduated from University of Technology in 1993.
Two years later, as Vietnam began to open its doors to the world, I started my own small IT company.
At 25, I was 1m76 tall, weighed 68kg — strong, energetic, and proud of being in perfect health.
Back then, I believed that youth could handle anything.
The “Carefree” Years (1995–2000): My Five-Year Shortcut to Diabetes
In 1994, Coca-Cola officially entered Vietnam.
Like many others, I fell in love with it instantly — sweet, fizzy, refreshing.
Three to five cans a day became my norm.
Add to that:
🍚 White rice, 🍞 bread, 🍜 noodles, and 🍺 late-night client dinners with beer.
I told myself:
“I work hard — I deserve it.”
What I didn’t realize was that I was training my body for diabetes — one can at a time.
The Result: Year 2000
After just five years:
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Weight: 68kg → 93kg
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Constant sugar cravings
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Eyesight getting worse — fast
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Always tired, thirsty, and urinating often
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One morning, I saw a line of ants gathering where I had just urinated
That was my first wake-up call.
I went for a blood test.
Result: Blood sugar 350 mg/dL (normal <100).
The doctor looked at me calmly and said:
“You have Type 2 Diabetes.
It’s probably been there for a while.”
I was 30 years old.
Science Now Confirms: “Five Years Is Enough”
My story isn’t unique.
Modern research has confirmed that just 3–5 years of unhealthy habits can trigger diabetes.
1. The Role of Sugary Drinks
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BMJ (2019): One can of soda a day increases diabetes risk by 25%.
→ I drank 3–5 cans daily — that’s a 75–125% higher risk. -
Nature Medicine (2024): Nearly 10% of new diabetes cases worldwide are linked directly to sugary beverages.
2. The Five-Year Process of Breakdown
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Years 1–2: The pancreas works overtime to produce insulin.
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Years 3–4: Cells begin resisting insulin; the pancreas weakens.
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Year 5: The pancreas “gives up” — and diabetes takes hold.
3. The Danger of Refined Carbs
According to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health,
consuming large amounts of refined carbohydrates
(white rice, white bread, noodles)
causes rapid blood sugar spikes and insulin resistance —
the foundation of Type 2 diabetes.
4. How Fast It Really Develops
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Diabetes Care (2018): People with risk factors can develop diabetes within 3–7 years.
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American Diabetes Association: The “prediabetes” stage often lasts 5–10 years before turning into full diabetes.
Why Exactly Five Years?
According to Professor Roy Taylor (Newcastle University),
each body has a “Personal Fat Threshold” —
a limit to how much internal fat it can safely store.
Once that limit is crossed:
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Fat begins to accumulate in the liver and pancreas.
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Beta cells stop functioning properly.
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Insulin resistance becomes increasingly difficult to reverse.
For me, it was simple math:
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3–5 cans of soda per day = 150–250g of sugar daily
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Add in refined carbs (rice, bread, noodles)
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No exercise
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Frequent drinking
Five years — that was all it took to dismantle a healthy body.
What I Learned
I’m not sharing this to scare anyone.
I’m sharing it because diabetes isn’t fate — it’s accumulation.
If you’re 25 or 30, healthy and full of energy,
and you think “a little sugar won’t hurt,”
remember — your body is keeping score.
Five years isn’t long.
But it’s long enough to change everything.
So ask yourself:
Will you use your next five years to destroy your health — or to rebuild it?
💚
– Danny
Silent Recovery
References
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BMJ (2019): Sugar-sweetened beverages and diabetes risk
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Nature Medicine (2024): Global burden of diabetes linked to sugary drinks
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Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Carbohydrates and insulin resistance
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Newcastle University: Personal Fat Threshold research
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Diabetes Care (2018) & American Diabetes Association (2023)