Facts and Myths about Diabetes

With a lot of assumptions going around in the air about the disease of diabetes, World Diabetes Day, to be celebrated on November 14, is here to bring clarity. Today, let’s swipe the surface with facts and discard the presence of myths and misconceptions surrounding diabetes. Making way to better understand the disease, let’s first understand what diabetes actually is. 

What is Diabetes? 

The inability of the body to regulate the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood for a long period of time is Diabetes. It is a serious, complicated disease. It’s usually a lifelong; chronic disease. Leading to medical problems around the body’s organs such as the heart, nerves, eyes, and foot, the disease comes with many day-to-day difficulties. Many people who suffer from diabetes also report strokes as one of the major problems that they face. 

The problem of diabetes is connected with an organ, as well. When the pancreas, an important organ in your body, stops producing insulin, the hormone that regulates the level of blood sugar, complications such as high glucose levels start to arise. 

Facts About Diabetes 

Diving in on the facts, first, let’s take a look at some truths surrounding the air of diabetes. 

1. Diabetes can be the cause of death

Diabetes has a high mortality rate in the world. Especially in middle-to-low-income countries, this is truer than the countries with medical resources. In fact, diabetes is a leading cause of death, coming in the top 10, in the world.

2. Diabetes is a manageable disease 

Yes, with the right conditions and lifestyle, diabetes can be managed well. Regular exercise and a healthy diet can go a long way when it comes to living with diabetes. 

3. Diabetes can cause blindness and amputation

With the strong effect of diabetes on the body, the disease can easily get out of hand. Therefore, it is important to be managed well.  It is important to note that with diabetes, the healing process of the body slows down, leading to extreme conditions such as blindness and amputation, in several severe cases.

4. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented

As diabetes can be managed well, the risks of developing type 2 diabetes can be prevented. Some risk factors of type 2 diabetes include obesity and ageing, so if with the right management, your body stays steady, there are chances of preventing type 2 diabetes.

5. People suffering from diabetes can, in fact, enjoy sweets

With the right planning, a patient with diabetes may even be asked to intake sweets at timely intervals — regulating the level of blood sugar in the body. 

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Myths About Diabetes 

Let’s bring down all the false accusations against the disease! Listed below are 5 of them. 

1. Diabetes is caused by eating too much sugar 

No, it isn’t. Even though a can of sugary soda can worsen your health and increase your risk of obesity, it is not the cause of diabetes. Diabetes occurs when your body is not responsive to the production of insulin in your body and is produced less. Intake of sugar has nothing to do with the cause of diabetes. It can worsen it, not cause it. 

2. Diabetes is a curable disease

As mentioned before, diabetes is a manageable disease, not curable. It is a chronic disease all the way through, with solutions available for arisen complications, but not for the disease itself. 

3. Amputation and Blindness are Inevitable 

Even though amputation and blindness are potential problems faced by people suffering from diabetes, it is not a sure-shot fact. Amputation and Blindness can be faced by diabetic people, but it is not mandatory. No one can be sure of the future, to that level. 

4. Diabetic-friendly sweets are better 

It is important to check the contents of the product before consuming it, for even if they are not real sugar components, they can be substitutes for added artificial sweeteners, which is equally worse. So, be careful. 

5. Diabetes is always genetically-caused 

Although it’s true that having diabetes in your family’s medical history can increase your chances of contracting the disease, it’s not always the case. Lifestyle choices and environmental conditions matter a lot when it comes to type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In actuality, many family members who do not have diabetes are closely related to people with diabetes.

How to Prevent Diabetes? 

As the disease is at the risk worldwide, medical advancement is in current progress as we speak. Currently, insulin injections are one mode of treatment that controls and brings ease to sugar levels in the body. Several medications are also prescribed. 

Furthermore, to get a glimpse of the disease in a larger context, it is constituted of various types. Type 1 and Type 2, latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), and gestational are four common types of diabetes. 

Diabetes Rates by Country 

Now, as diabetes is a global disease, let’s look at some statistics. These are figures of the rates of diabetes tabulated with names of countries. 

Countries	Rate of Diabetes (in percentage)
Pakistan	30.8
French Polynesia	25.2
Kuwait	24.9
New Caledonia	23.4
Northern Mariana Islands	23.4

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FAQs 

Hope you had a better understanding of diabetes on the occasion of World Diabetes Day, today. Stay away from myths and subscribe to facts, always. Stay tuned to Leverage Edu, for more information and similar interesting blogs.