MYTH & FACTS FOR DIABETES!!!

Myth and Facts

Myth 1: Diabetes is a disease of the elderly

Fact:Elderly group thought that diabetes mellitus especially type 2 diabetes is always an elderly disease, because it is generally found in adults. Diabetes can happen to any age, although it is mostly happen to the people over the age of 40 years. Nowadays, more and more children and adolescents are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes especially those who are overweight. Changes in modern lifestyle which is less healthy cause high prevalence of diabetes among 20 years or 30 years individuals. One of the best ways to reduce the risk of developing diabetes for any age of people is by encouraging healthy lifestyle through diet and regular exercise.

Myth 2: Diabetes derived crosses, from mother to son, or from father to daughter.

Fact:Have a family history of diabetes does raise the risk of diabetes. Genetic is one of the factors that can increase the risk of getting diabetes. However, had the same blood type father does not necessarily make you automatically affected by diabetes. Diabetes not only depends on genetic factor but also diet and lifestyle factors. Although you have genetically inherited the diabetes disease from your parent, you are still able to control the disease. If you have a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise, the risk of diabetes can be greatly reduced.

Myth 3:People with diabetes cannot eat sweets or chocolate.

Fact: Not to avoid taking any sweets or chocolate at all when someone had developed diabetes. It is more important to control the amount intake rather than refuse to take or consume it at all. If eaten as part of a planned healthy diet or in combination with exercise, people with diabetes actually can eat sweets and dessertsin order to avoid hypoglycaemia.However, people with diabetes should control and minimize the sweets and chocolate intake more than people without diabetes as it will lead to hyperglycemia if taking too much of it. Besides that, the blood glucose level must be monitored more frequent.

Myth 4:Eating too much sugar causes diabetes.

Fact:Diabetes is not developing just by taking too much sugar. Yes, sugar is a high GI food that associated with greater increases in blood sugar than foods with a low GI but it alone is not able to cause diabetes.Again, diabetes is caused by a combination of genetic and lifestyle. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes will increase in overweight or obese people. The patients need to control their body weight in order to reduce the risk of getting diabetes. If there is a family history of diabetes, we recommend a healthy diet and regular exercise to control weight.

Myth 5: You have to cut down the amounts of starchy foods such as bread, potatoes and pasta if you are a diabetic patient.

Fact:The key is to have a balanced diet. Starchy food is important and should not be cut as they provide good sources of fiber which help in promoting good digestive system. Focus on its GI and meal pattern rather than the amount you are taken. Choose starchy food with low GI food and having small and frequent meals help in controlling your blood glucose level well. 

Myth 6: If you have diabetes, you should eat special “diabetic foods”.

Fact:The principles of healthy diet are the same no matter you are a diabetic patient or not. A healthy diet with low fat (especially trans-fat), moderate salt and sugar intake, high grains, vegetables and fruits intake should be practiced. You can have a good glucose profile if you are willing to start and change your diet and lifestyle instead of including that expensive diabetic food. For example, the artificial sweeteners such as stevia usually cost high and is not an ideal recommendation for those with low economic status.

Myth 7: Fruit is a healthy food. So the person with diabetes can eat as much as they want.

Fact:Fruit is often referred to as a healthy food due to its high contains of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Since it also contains carbohydrates in the simple sugar form, it must be included in the diet plan and become a diabetes-friendly diet. However, the diabetes educator or dieticians have to report on the amount, frequency and types of fruits that can be eaten.

Myth 8: Traditional medicine is better than modern medicine

Fact:The traditional medicine is a bit different from medical drug because the medical drug will mostly undergo clinical research study. Each of the modern medicine on market has gone through phase of clinical trial before it is marketed unlike the traditional medicine which has less scientific-based evidence. Generally, human will get more risk when using traditional medicine than the medical drug. However, there are also some of the traditional medicine has scientific-based evidence and is approved.

Myth 9: The most important thing that needs to be control is the fasting blood glucose.  

Fact: Actually, the incidence of high blood glucose level before and after eating is equally dangerous for the long-term. High blood glucose level after eating becomes the main incidence of macrovascular complication such as cardiac disorder and blood vessel disease.  It is reported that most of the causes of death in diabetic patients is due to the cardiac disorder and blood vessel complication.

Myth 10: A diabetic patient is in a chronic condition when using insulin as one of their treatment.

Fact:  Not exactly. Normally, the insulintherapy will be used in type 1 diabetic patient. For type 2 diabetic, they are advised to control their blood glucose level by keeping the dietary pattern and exercise. If the blood glucose level cannot be control, then the patient is advised to consume an oral anti-diabetic agent to control their blood glucose level. As time goes on, the ability of the patient to produce insulin becomes low and the less effectiveness of medicinein controlling the blood glucose level.Now only the insulin treatment is prescribed.

Myth 11:Don’t take insulin because it causes weight gain and obesity

Fact:It is true that the patient who takes insulin will lead to weight gain. Based on studies from UKPDS (United Kingdom Prospective Diabetis Study) and DCCT (Diabetes Control and Complication Trial) on diabetes, it shows that the benefit of insulin in managing the blood glucose level is greater than the risk of getting weight gain due to the used of insulin. This is due to the ability of insulin in helping our body to use food efficiently.

Myth 12: Insulin causes arteriosclerosis and hypertension.

Fact: Some people are wrongly understood about the insulin. Insulin does not cause atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. Actually insulin can also reduce the complication of hypertension, cardiac disease and other complication of diabetes when the blood glucose returns to normal. In addition, there is no any consideration about effect of insulin on initiating some of the early processes associated with atherosclerosis.

Myth 13: Diabetes can be cured

Fact: Some of the individual thought that their diabetes has been cured when their blood glucose is always normal and stable in a long time. Whereas, damaged of pancreatic function is permanent and not reversible. The fact is diabetes cannot be cured but it can be control by maintaining the blood glucose level within normal range. The normal blood glucose range for the diabetic patient and non-diabetic patient is just the same. For diabetic patient, the blood glucose is controlled in order to reduce risk of complication.

Myth 14: There are more likely for people with diabetes to get colds and other illnesses as well as shorter life.

Fact: It is not true. Don’t worry if you are having diabetic as the probability of getting cold or another illness is the same as non-diabetic people. However, diabetic patients are usually advised to get influenza vaccine. This is because there will be a higher risk of having high blood glucose level if you get infection or illness that interferes with proper blood glucose control. By having a healthy diet and lifestyle, diabetic patient can reduce risk from getting any other diseases. 

References:

• 10 MitosKeliru Diabetes yangPerluDiluruskan. http://health.kompas.com, 2012.
• Myths and facts of diabetes, ADA. http://www.diabeticosdelmundo.org
• http://clinical.diabetesjournals.org/content/25/1/39.full
• http://health.kompas.com/read/2012/09/20/13574222/10.Mitos.Keliru.Diabetes.yang.Perlu.Diluruskan
• http://www.diabeticosdelmundo.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76%3Amitos-de-la-diabetes&catid=35%3Aconceptos&Itemid=133
• Helpguide, 2012. Diabetes Diet and Food Tips. http://www.helpguide.org
• Diabetes UK, 2012. http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Introduction-to-diabetes/Myths_and_FAQs/?print=1