Debunking 4 Diabetes Myths & Misconceptions
Looking at the numbers, diabetes is one of the most serious problems that this country faces. There are also a number of misconceptions surrounding this disease. This poses another serious issues as the lack of awareness for diabetes can make things even more difficult for those who develop it.
Perhaps even more scary is that 1 out of every 3 people with diabetes don’t even know they have it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this means there could be at least 8 million people in this country alone who are diabetic and don’t even realize it. That’s a lot of people who could be making potentially deadly health choices on a daily basis.
In this week’s post, we’ll run through a few of the most widespread myths and misconceptions related to diabetes.
Myth No. 1 – Diabetes is Mostly Caused by Too Much Sugar
Many people associate diabetes with high rates of sugar consumption and obesity. While there are definitive drawbacks to being obese and eating too much sugar, these should not be thought of as the two primary causes of diabetes. This is probably a little confusing, so lets delve into it further.
The two most common forms of diabetes are type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes clinical research has shown that lifestyle factors certainly play a key role in the development of type 2 diabetes, but genetics plays a strong role in both type 1 and 2. In fact, more people should understand that type 1 diabetes is actually an autoimmune disease. There’s also gestational diabetes which is caused by certain hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy (click here to learn more about it).
The truth is that the majority of people who are overweight or obese don’t have diabetes. At the same time, many people who develop adult-onset diabetes aren’t even overweight. One should not consider yourself completely risk free if you’re not overweight or consuming much sugar.
Myth No. 2 – Diabetics Are More Likely to Get the Flu
Medical experts recommend that diabetics get an annual flu shot, but this does not mean that this disease makes someone more susceptible to influenza infection. Diabetics have the same level of risk for this infection and the common cold as someone without the disease.
The reason that doctors stress flu shots is that the infection can cause additional complications for diabetics making it more difficult to control their symptoms. It’s actually the same for most viral illnesses, but research has shown that the flu has been associated with more serious complications.
Myth No. 3 – Diabetics Can’t Eat Any Carbs or Sweets
Even though diabetics must adopt a much stricter diet, this does not mean that they’ll never be able to eat any sweets or carbs again. In fact, the best diet for diabetes is not really that much different than your standard healthy diet. Diabetics will need to take great care when it comes to planning their meals for the day, but it’s still possible to have dessert if things are accounted for properly.
Myth No. 4 – Gestational Diabetes Isn’t a Serious Problem
It’s common knowledge that a woman’s hormones will be going pretty crazy during pregnancy. These also include those that impact digestion. If a woman develops gestational diabetes, then these hormonal fluctuations can make the body less efficient at using insulin. Fortunately, most cases of gestational diabetes go away after the pregnancy is over and hormone levels get back to normal.
Clinical studies have shown that women who’ve had gestational diabetes are at significantly greater risk for type 2 diabetes later on in life. Not only that, it can also make her child more likely to develop diabetes. This means that the family will need to make healthy living habits a serious priority in their lives.
There are still other misconceptions about this disease, but hopefully this post taught you something new today. More people need to understand the truth when it comes to diabetes, because many of these myths can be extremely dangerous.