Diabetes can occur in all age groups but most of the cases involve obese people in middle or older age. It can be broadly classified into 3 types:

• Type 1 diabetes mellitus
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus
• Gestational diabetes mellitus

What is Type 1 Diabetes ?

Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile onset diabetes. In this type of diabetes, the body stops producing insulin either completely or produces very less than required to regulate the level of blood glucose. Hence, this is also called as Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus.

What is Type 2 Diabetes ?

Type 2 diabetes is also known as adult onset diabetes. In this type of diabetes, the body though produces insulin but is unable to utilize it. The pancreas secretes insulin but the body is unable to use this hormone usually due to some abnormal changes.

What is Gestational Diabetes ?

Gestational diabetes occurs only in pregnant women, usually during the second half of pregnancy. It disappears after the delivery or in some cases turns into Type 2 Diabetes.

Diabetes Facts and Myths

According to many of the recent surveys, the number of people suffering from Diabetes is increasing everyday at an alarming rate. Though there is this increase in diabetic patients, the steps being taken to create general awareness among the people are insufficient. And hence, as with every disease, there are myths surrounding diabetes mellitus too. Lack of awareness leads to wrong self-assumptions and this ignorance can have negative effects. Let us have a look at the various myths and facts about diabetes mellitus in general and also the individual types of diabetes.

Common Myths & Facts on Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes:

Myth 1: Diabetes is not as serious a health issue as depicted.

Fact 1: If we go by the recent reports, then diabetes is responsible for more number of deaths than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Diabetes leads to a weak heart vulnerable for a stroke. Two-thirds of diabetes patients die from a heart disease or a stroke. On an average, this disease causes six deaths in a minute.

At any given age, the risk of death among people suffering from diabetes is almost double to that of people who are non-diabetic.

Around 3.2 million people are estimated to die because of diabetes or the problems that arise due to it. It’s the cause of one out of every twenty deaths around the world.

According to a recent ranking generated, based on death certificate reports, diabetes stands seventh on the list of leading causes of death in the United States.

This survey is done from the available data. Looking at the other side, diabetes is considered as an under-reported cause. Only 35 to 40 percent of diabetic patients had it listed on their death certificate and only 10 to 15 percent considered and got it noted as an underlying cause of death.

Myth 2: Excessive eating of sugar and sweets causes diabetes.

Fact 2: Diabetes is usually caused due to genetics and lifestyle factors. Being overweight increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. A high calorie diet contributes to weight gain. These calories not necessarily come from sugar or fats. Eating more sugar and sweets leads to overweight when not balanced with healthy meal plan and exercise. If sugar and sweets are part of a healthy diet plan, then consuming more sugar does not lead to diabetes.

Myth 3: Stress leads to diabetes.

Fact 3: Stress doesn’t lead to diabetes. It does cause some hormonal changes, but these changes need not necessarily affect the process of absorption of glucose from blood. However, stress can have other harmful effects on a diabetic.

Myth 4: Diabetic using insulin or anti-diabetic medications can eat everything.

Fact 4: Medicines are no substitute for good balanced diet, exercise and a healthy weight. Even if taking diabetes medication, the diabetic should stick to healthy lifestyle habits. In fact the medicines will work better and more effectively if a healthy lifestyle is followed.

Myth 5: Diabetes is contagious.

Fact 5: Diabetes is certainly not contagious. It does not spread like other viral diseases. You can be assured when around another person with diabetes mellitus that you won’t develop one yourself. This disease is a cause of individual family history, lifestyle and internal problems.

Myth 6: Diabetes patients can’t play sports or actively participate in physical activities.

Fact 6: Let us look at a few names of famous sportsmen suffering from diabetes. The list includes, among numerous others, the following:

Wasim Akram, Missy Foy, Jay Cutler, Scott Dunton, Arthur Ashe, Gary Hall Jr., James ‘Catfish’ Hunter, Chris Jarvis, Billie Jean King, Ham Richardson, Everson Walls, Robert Marella, Ayden Byle and more.

There are many more athletes who suffer from diabetes but carry on their games without any hindrance.

In fact, the truth is that diabetic patients are encouraged to exercise and take part in sports. It keeps them active and healthy. It increases the blood flow and chances of glucose absorption by the tissues. However, there are certain factors that should be considered starting an exercise routine.

Myth 7: Diabetes leads to blindness in later stages.

Fact 7: There are very few recognizable symptoms for gestational diabetes. One of it is blurry vision. Even type-1 and type-2 diabetes are considered as leading causes of sightlessness. But this is minor and does not lead to blindness.

There is a lack of vitamin A in the body as a result of diabetes. This leads to weak eyesight. However, this problem can be easily rectified by good balanced diet. Include vitamin A rich sources of foods in your diet plan.

Keeping the blood pressure, sugar level and body weight in check will help improve the eyesight.

Myth 8: Diabetics should avoid driving.

Fact 8: Diabetes patients who have their sugar levels under control can drive. A high level of sugar in blood affects the eyesight only to a slight level. The other senses too function normally when proper care is taken about diet, exercise and medication. So, there is no problem for diabetics to drive when glucose level is under control.

Myth 9: Diabetics are more likely to get colds.

Fact 9: This is not true. A diabetic patient and a normal healthy person are equally prone to get colds. This myth surfaces when the doctors advise diabetes patients to get a flu vaccination. This advice is given because flu or any other illness can make diabetes more difficult to control. The reason behind this is that any infection can change the glucose levels in blood, which may lead to greater risk for diabetic complications.

Any infection may interfere with a diabetic’s blood glucose management and thus increasing the risk of high blood glucose levels.

For type 1 diabetics, there is an increased risk of ketoacidosis, a serious condition that can lead to a diabetic coma or even death.

Myth 10: Diabetics should limit carbohydrates, not proteins or fats.

Fact 10: Limiting carbohydrates surely helps in keeping the blood sugar levels in check but it’s also important to be sure that your total calorie intake is well balanced. Whether its carbohydrates, proteins or fats, everything should be well-balanced and taken in moderate quantities.

Myth 11: Diabetics should minimize the use of starchy foods.

Fact 11: Diabetics should be very careful about their diet. They should make balanced diet and healthy meal plan, a part of their life. Starchy foods, like whole grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice, and starchy vegetable like potatoes, yams, peas an corn, form part of a healthy meal plan. These should be included as part of your daily diet but care should be taken about the quantity. The portion size should be moderate. Too much of anything is dangerous. So is it about starchy foods too. Keep an eye on the amount of starchy foods you consume regularly.

Myth 12: People with diabetes cannot eat fruits.

Fact 12: All kinds of fruits and vegetables are beneficial for the diabetes patients and in fact have been proved to reduce the chances of heart diseases and cancers. Diabetics are actually advised to take four to five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

Fruit is a healthy food and contains fiber and lots of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. This should be included in your diet plan but consult your dietician about the amount, frequency and types of fruits you should eat.

Fruits like gooseberry, grape fruit and orange are rich in vitamin C. The diabetics are supposed to include at least one source of vitamin C in their diet daily.

Myth 13: Lifestyle doesn’t have any impact on diabetes.

Fact 13: A sedentary lifestyle actually acts as a trigger for development of diabetes. Lack of activity may lead to diabetes. Diabetics should follow a good balanced diet and do regular exercises.

For expecting mothers suffering from gestational diabetes too, exercise forms an important part of the treatment plan. They should follow a good balanced diet and opt for exercises that do not involve too much of stretching. Exercises like stationary cycling, walking, swimming and arm exercises are safe options.

Exercising frequently gets the blood sugar levels down.

Myth 14: Diabetics should eat special foods meant only for them.

Fact 14: There are no special advantages in the ‘special’ diabetic diets. These diets still raise blood sugar levels and blood pressure. They can also have a laxatic effect if they contain sugar alcohols. As if that’s not enough, these are more expensive.

In fact, a healthy meal plan for people with diabetes is generally the same as a healthy meal plan for a normal healthy person. The overall principle is to reduce the amount of fat, simple sugar and salt. Just increase the amount of complex carbohydrates and food high in fiber. Foods that are high in carbohydrates provide energy, vitamins and minerals.

A diabetic should in fact eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients needed.

Myth 15: Artificial sweeteners are dangerous for diabetics.

Fact 15: Artificial sweeteners are actually much sweeter than the equivalent amount of sugar. That way, it takes less of them to get the same sweetness found in sugar. This can result in eating lesser calories than when you use sugar.

Type 1 Diabetes Facts

Myth 16: Cases of diabetes patients in the same family are nothing but coincidence.

Fact 16: Genetic factors contribute a lot to the development of diabetes. Persons with a family history of diabetes are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with diabetes at some stage of their life.

Belonging to certain ethnic groups, like Mexican-Americans, American Indians, African-Americans, Indians and Asians, is also considered as a high risk factor.

Myth 17: Small girls with type 1 diabetes may not have children when they grow up.

Fact 17: This has been proved wrong as many adult women with type 1 diabetes are able to have children. All they need to do is keep their blood sugar levels under extremely tight control. This is a little difficult task, but requires only a little commitment and a doctor’s keen observation and expertise.

Myth 18: Type 1 diabetes leads to irritating behavior.

Fact 18: This is assumed because of the hyperactivity associated with high blood sugar or irritability associated with low blood sugar. Diabetes has nothing to do with the behavior of an individual person.

Myth 19: Type 1 diabetics die young.

Fact 19: Of course there are young people who die from type 1 diabetes and its complications, but they are very less in number. Insulin shots have made type 1 a ‘curable’ disease. It is no longer a fatal disease.

Myth 20: Hypoglycemic condition kills brain cells and thus results in brain damage.

Fact 20: The experience of hypoglycemia can come on rapidly and cause extreme headache to a diabetic. It is usually accompanied by weakness and sometimes mass confusion. Because of these complications, people have assumed that hypoglycemia is directly linked to the killing of brain cells and eventually it destroys the function of the mind.

However, studies have revealed that diabetics who suffer from effects of hypoglycemia do not lose mental function whatsoever. Children, though, may experience some loss of mental functioning as their brains are still not fully developed.

Human body usually has an endless supply of hormones that are able to reverse the effects of hypoglycemia. And in addition to the body’s defense mechanism, there are things that a diabetic can do directly prevent hypoglycemia.

The diabetic should check the blood glucose levels before starting heavy exercise and keep along an emergency supply of glucose which the body can absorb rapidly.

Type 2 Diabetes Facts

Myth 21: Type 2 diabetes is a gentle disease compared to type-1 diabetes.

Fact 21: All types of diabetes are serious if proper care is not taken. Type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes too occur due to high blood sugar level. Increase in the glucose level in blood is a serious health concern and should not be neglected. The elevated sugar levels cause serious complications if left unattended.

There is no such thing as gentle or mild diabetes. Equal importance should be given to all types of diabetes as ignoring it will lead to serious consequences.

Myth 22: Type 2 diabetics should take anti-diabetic drugs for life.

Fact 22: A diabetic may be able to reduce or even eliminate the need for drugs by loosing weight, exercising and sticking to a strict diet plan. However, the physician should be consulted before any kind of discontinuation of medicines.

Myth 23: Being overweight or obese will eventually lead to type 2 diabetes.

Fact 23: Obesity is surely a risk factor for developing this disease. But it is a risk factor not a pre-condition. Most overweight people never develop diabetes. Other risk factors like family history, ethnicity and age also play a role in developing this disease. Many type 2 diabetes patients weigh moderately. Weight does play a major role but other factors too should be looked for.

Myth 24: Type 2 diabetics advised by the doctor to start taking insulin are not taking care of their diabetes.

Fact 24: For most type 2 diabetics, it is a progressive disease. Many people diagnosed with type 2 diabetics for the first time can keep their blood glucose at a healthy level with the aid of just oral medications. But as time passes by, the amount of insulin produced by the body is gradually reduced. When this happens, oral medications may not be enough to keep blood glucose levels normal. It is then that the doctors advise the diabetic to start taking insulin shots.

Using insulin to get blood glucose levels to a normal level is not a harmful thing. In fact it is perfectly safe and a good option.

Myth 25: People with a family history of type-2 diabetes always end up with the disease.

Fact 25: Having a family history of type 2 diabetes doesn’t necessarily mean that the person will also get the disease. All that’s needed to avoid diabetes is to be a little serious about maintaining the ideal weight, following a healthy diet and exercising.

Gestational Diabetes Facts

Myth 26: Gestational diabetes is a condition which remains even after the delivery.

Fact 26: Gestational diabetes ends up with the end of pregnancy. However, in some cases, if proper care is not taken, it may lead to type-2 diabetes later on.

Myth 27: The baby will also be affected if the pregnant woman is diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Fact 27: Children may or may not get affected if their mothers have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus. However, even if they are found to be affected, the complications can be easily avoided by eating a balanced diet, good exercises and, if required, insulin shots. Following these measures, the child can live a healthy life.

Conclusion:

By studying these myths and the actual facts, we can know how much there is a lack of awareness among people about diabetes mellitus. A diabetes mellitus condition can be controlled easily by following simple steps of good balanced diet, exercise and medications.

Also Read:

• Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms
• Causes of Diabetes
• Type 1 Diabetes Symptoms and Signs
• What is AIDS (HIV)? Control, Prevention & Common Myths and Facts
• Type 2 Diabetes Causes

by Dr John on 07. Sep, 2010 in Diabetes