Diabetes Myths Debunked!
Table of Contents
Diabetes has become a common household disease. The probability of a family member or oneself being diagnosed with diabetes is very high. In India about 5% of the total population suffers from diabetes mellitus. Even though the diagnosed cases are 5%, there are still a lot more population whose diabetes has gone undiagnosed.
Although the number of people diagnosed with the debilitating disease is large, not everyone is well informed about the facts of the disease. Let us find out some untrue myths that are not associated with the disease:
Myth 1:
A person who has a sweet tooth, who consumes a lot of sugar will end up getting diabetes.
Reasoning: Diabetes does not occur due to the overconsumption of sugar. It is a disease that is caused by lack of the function of pancreas to produce insulin. When pancreas stop producing insulin, an enzyme responsible for converting sugar into energy then the disease is known as diabetes mellitus. It does not have anything to do with consumption of sugar when your pancreas are functioning well. Studies do not have any direct correlation between eating a lot of sugar and ending up getting diabetes.
Myth 2
Diabetes is not a very serious disease.
Reasoning: Uncontrolled diabetes or unmanaged diabetes causes more deaths than cancer and AIDS. It also drastically increases the risk of cardiac complications like heart attacks, nerve problems like neuropathy and kidney complications like nephropathy. Keeping Diabetes under control helps in prolonging the damaging effects of the disease.
Myth 3
Obesity causes diabetes
Reasoning: Obesity can be a prime reason for heart problems like atherosclerosis, but it does not necessarily cause diabetes. Much assured, it can be a trigger for diabetes to occur but it is not the reason for diabetes. The reason for diabetes is much deeper than obesity. An individual has to consider predisposing factors like environmental factors, genetics etc that come into play.
Myth 4
Diabetes causes reduced sexual libido
Reasoning: Increased fatigue, reduced sensory inputs, etc can make an individual feel lethargic in bed, but it does not physiologically reduce the urge for sexual intercourse. Increased exercises can alter the sense of lethargy in diabetic patients.
Myth 5
Insulin shots are painful.
Reasoning: Modern technological advancements have made the insulin transport needle very thin. These days administration of insulin is painless, as the site of injection of insulin is usually in areas where there is less nerve endings. Insulin shots are not painful.
Myth 6
Insulin therapy makes you gain weight.
Reasoning: Insulin therapy in itself does not make you gain weight. Before commencement of insulin therapy, excess glucose from the body gets washed away in the urine. After insulin therapy treatment, the excess glucose gets retained which does not get expended as energy and hence gets stored as fat and aides in weight gain.
Myth 7
Diabetes levels increase with consumption of sugary fruits.
Reasoning: Consuming a well balanced diet will keep blood glucose levels in check. In addition to the well balanced diet, consumption of fruits which are high in sugar will not cause elevated blood glucose levels whereas consuming unbalanced diet and adding sugary fruits will cause harm to your body.
Myth 8
I can have everything that is sugar free
Reasoning: Sugar free does not mean the food does not have ingredients that get converted to carbohydrates of sugar. Always verify if the food is sugar free and is free from any ingredient that gets converted to sugar.
Myth 9
I will exercise to reduce diabetes when my sugar levels are elevated.
Reasoning: Exercises bring down diabetic levels marginally. It is good to exercise regularly even if your diabetes is under control.
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