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Posted by Rebecca Paxton
10 Diabetes myths
The Myths and Facts About Diabetes
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
People were more knowledgeable about blood pressure and cholesterol than blood sugar, according to a survey of 1,000 adults conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center in April. That's worrisome, because high blood sugar may be an indicator of diabetes, and it rivals the other two factors in contributing to heart attacks and strokes. High blood sugar can also lead to kidney damage, blindness and other serious health complications.
According to the CR survey, women were more likely than men to say they had talked with a doctor about blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, including what levels of those markers are considered healthy. Both sexes did poorly when asked to list risk factors, symptoms and complications related to Type 2 diabetes.
10 Diabetes Myths
MYTH You have to be overweight to develop diabetes; thin people don't get the disease.
FACT There's no doubt that obesity is a major contributor to Type 2 diabetes, but genetics and age can also play a role, even for skinny people.
CR recommends that people age 45 and older have their blood sugar checked every three years. Start earlier if you are overweight and experience such symptoms as fatigue, increased hunger or thirst and weight loss, or if you have at least one additional risk factor for diabetes. Those risk factors include being sedentary, being non-Caucasian and having a family history of the disease.
MYTH You can get diabetes from eating too much sugar.
FACT While continually munching on sweets can help trigger diabetes in someone with a predisposition, it is not a direct catalyst. (Packing on pounds, however, is a major risk factor.)
Here's how Type 2 diabetes develops: People gradually become resistant to insulin, the hormone responsible for helping convert blood sugar into energy. Diabetes emerges when the pancreas can no longer keep up with the body's increased demand for insulin.
In the less common Type 1 form of the disease, the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
MYTH You'll know if your blood sugar is too high because you'll develop telltale symptoms.
FACT Not necessarily. Slightly elevated blood sugar usually doesn't trigger symptoms. And even in people with moderately elevated blood sugar, the symptoms may be so mild at first that they are easily overlooked. With high blood sugar levels, some of the more common symptoms include fatigue, increased hunger or thirst, weight loss, sores that don't heal and more-frequent urination, especially at night.
MYTH People with diabetes have to follow a special diet.
FACT A healthy diet for a person with diabetes is typically identical to a healthy diet for anyone else. It should include a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy products and moderate amounts of healthier fats such as those found in olive and canola oil. And yes, people with diabetes can still enjoy sweets as long as they work them into their meal plan carefully, eating them infrequently and in small doses.
MYTH People with diabetes should limit their physical activity.
FACT Quite the opposite. Exercise helps control not only blood sugar but also weight and blood pressure, and it may improve cholesterol levels. Physical activity also reduces the risk of common diabetes complications, such as heart disease and nerve damage.
MYTH Everyone with diabetes needs insulin injections.
FACT People with Type 1 typically need daily insulin injections because their body produces little or none of the hormone. But many people with the Type 2 disease can take pills to help keep their blood sugar in check.
MYTH Everyone with diabetes should routinely monitor his or her blood sugar at home.
FACT Not necessarily. Those who use insulin need to keep closer tabs on their blood sugar so they can adjust their doses if necessary and guard against dangerous drops in blood sugar levels. But people who don't use insulin and have good control of their blood sugar may need to check it at home only occasionally if at all. (Of course, they should still have it checked at regular doctor visits.)
MYTH Type 1 diabetes is more dangerous than Type 2.
FACT Left uncontrolled, both types of diabetes can lead to serious complications, including heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, nerve damage and amputation.
MYTH Most people with diabetes will eventually need kidney dialysis or have other disabling complications.
FACT With regular checkups and good blood sugar control, serious complications occur less frequently.
MYTH Once you have Type 2 diabetes, you have it for the rest of your life.
FACT Most people who took CR's survey echoed this gloomy view. In truth, even though Type 1 diabetes is currently not curable, the more common Type 2 form, which is often rooted in lifestyle factors such as inactivity and obesity, can usually recede after adopting healthier habits.
Copyright 2009. Consumers Union of United States Inc.
Posted by Rebecca Paxton
