Question from Canberra, Australia:

My friend seems to drink a lot and go to the toilet a lot when she hasn’t done any sport. She is a sports addict, doing martial arts, kayaking and hockey about seven times a week. When she has done sports, she seems to not drink as much or go to the toilet as much. She eats quite a lot, but that’s probably from all the exercise. She is 21 years old, 175 cm (5 feet, 7 inches) tall and weights 72 kg (158 pounds). She has very little fat on her and a lot of muscle.

She has been like this for the last year and I was wondering if it is possible she has LADA. There is no family history, except for her grandad who has type 2 and her aunt who has Hashimoto’s disease. She hasn’t had any major weight loss or anything because I believe she is controlling blood sugar levels through all the exercise she does. If she doesn’t exercise, she can become very irritable and tired as well.

So, basically, what I am asking is, can the symptoms of diabetes be minor if blood sugar levels are kept under control with exercise?