HEALTH & FAMILY
THERE’S A LOT OF MISINFORMATION ABOUT DIABETES
Myth: Eating too much sugar causes type 2 diabetes.
Truth: Contrary to popular belief, too much sugar doesn’t directly cause diabetes. Diabetes is caused by a combination of lifestyle and genetic factors. However, eating too much sugar can contribute to weight gain, and being overweight does increase your risk of developing it, so you should cut back on the sweet stuff.
Myth: People with diabetes should only eat special foods.
Truth: Diabetics should follow the same healthy diet everyone else is encouraged to eat. It should be low in fat (especially saturated and trans fat) with meals based on wholegrain foods, vegetables and fruit.
Salt and sugar should be consumed in moderation.
Myth: Taking insulin can cure diabetes.
Truth: Insulin is a medicine that helps to keep levels of blood sugar as normal as possible. It doesn’t cure diabetes – there is no cure, just medication, dietary and lifestyle changes that may help to control it.
Myth: I don’t have to worry about diabetes because there is no history of it in my family.
Truth: While it can run in families, you don’t have to have a family history to be at risk. Many people diagnosed with diabetes don’t have any close family members with it.
Myth: Several family members have diabetes, so I’m likely to get it.
Truth: Not necessarily. You may have an increased risk but you can reduce that by eating healthily, not being overweight and exercising.
Myth: You know you’ve got diabetes because the symptoms are very obvious.
Truth: People with type 2 diabetes can have few or no symptoms to start with. Because they still produce some insulin, their symptoms are milder – unlike people with type 1 diabetes who have little or no insulin. The only way to tell for sure is with a blood test.
Myth: My diabetes is only borderline, so I don’t have to worry about being careful.
Truth: Having pre-diabetes is an early warning sign that diabetes may develop. Tests that measure blood sugar levels can indicate whether you are pre-diabetic. This condition is a huge warning sign that you need to make changes to avoid the disease developing.
Myth: Once you are diagnosed with diabetes, there’s nothing you can do about it.
Truth: There is plenty you can do to control the disease and prevent or delay the onset of complications. You can take charge by eating healthy foods, staying active, losing weight if necessary, taking medicine as prescribed, testing your blood glucose, and regularly seeing medical professionals for advice and feedback.
Myth: Once you start taking diabetes medication, you can never come off it.
Truth: Sometimes temporary situations cause raised blood sugar levels and make it necessary to take insulin or other medication. However, if these circumstances change, and you’re careful about your diet and exercise, you may be able to control your blood sugar levels without medication.
Myth: Exercise doesn’t do much to help diabetes, apart from keeping weight under control.
Truth: Exercise also helps the pancreas to secrete more insulin, which keeps blood sugar levels in check, and it may be able to keep stress under control. These factors help blood sugar levels to stay stable.
Myth: If I’m using insulin, I don’t need to watch my diet.
Truth: You definitely do. You still need to eat healthily and stay physically active.
Myth: As long as I feel all right, my blood sugar level doesn’t matter.
Truth: If your blood sugar level is constantly raised, you may be damaging your eyes, kidneys, nerves and blood vessels. Normally, you won’t be able to feel this damage happening until it is serious. You can’t manage your diabetes according to how you feel – you need to monitor your blood sugar levels.
Myth: It doesn’t matter what I do – I’ll end up with complications, such as kidney failure or blindness regardless.
Truth: Complications are not inevitable. They are due to a mixture of high blood sugars, blood lipids and blood pressure. If you can control these until they are normal, you will protect your health.
Myth: Type 2 diabetes is not as serious as type 1.
Truth: All types of diabetes are serious and need careful management.