Various beliefs we often hear about diabetes, whether eating a lot of sweet foods causes diabetes or if people with diabetes must strictly avoid sweets, are these beliefs true or are we just misunderstanding? Here is an explanation from a diabetes specialist doctor that we bring to you.
Belief 1: Eating a lot of sweet foods causes diabetes. Is it true?
Because of the name “diabetes,” many people misunderstand that diabetes is a disease of people who eat a lot of sweet foods. Therefore, people who do not eat sweets will not get diabetes!
In fact, the main cause of diabetes is the body’s insufficient production of the hormone insulin. Insulin plays an important role in maintaining blood sugar levels. If our body produces this hormone normally, no matter how much sweet food we eat, it will not cause diabetes. However, it will affect body weight because excess weight and fat cause cells to become resistant to insulin, eventually leading to diabetes.
In summary…
- Eating very sweet or high-sugar foods does not necessarily cause diabetes if you exercise regularly and maintain a proper body weight.
- Diabetes may be caused by genetics or abnormal pancreatic function, resulting in insufficient insulin production to meet the body’s needs.
- Eating foods high in fat is also a cause of diabetes because saturated fat affects insulin action, causing insulin resistance and poor blood sugar control.
Belief 2: If you have diabetes, you must strictly avoid sweet foods. Is it true?
Since diabetes is a disease with high blood sugar levels, many people believe that avoiding all sweet foods or foods containing sugar, especially desserts and sweet drinks, will keep them safe from diabetes. However, this understanding is not entirely correct. Besides starch and sugar being the main causes of diabetes, red meat with high fat and processed foods such as sausages, bacon, and ham are also causes of diabetes. Saturated fat inhibits insulin action, causing blood sugar levels not to decrease, forcing the pancreas to produce more insulin than normal. This overworks the pancreas, leading to its gradual deterioration and inability to produce insulin effectively, resulting in diabetes.
Belief 3: Diabetes is a hereditary disease passed down to children
Some people think that if a parent has diabetes, their children will definitely have it too. Although diabetes can be inherited genetically, children do not have a 100% chance of getting diabetes. Genetics is not the major cause of diabetes because most people with diabetes develop it due to other factors. Diabetes can be prevented by maintaining good health through regular exercise, eating nutritious food, and having annual blood and health check-ups. This is enough to prevent diabetes.
Belief 4: If no one in the family has diabetes, we will not get diabetes
Genetics is one of many factors causing type 2 diabetes, but there are other factors that can cause diabetes if we have unhealthy behaviors such as regularly eating high sugar and high-fat foods, gaining excess weight, lack of rest, no exercise, and chronic stress, which can also lead to diabetes.
Belief 5: Only elderly people get diabetes
Although it is found that as we age, organs begin to deteriorate and diabetes is more common,
- Diabetes can occur at any age, not just in the elderly.
- Type 1 diabetes mostly occurs in children or young people.
- Type 2 diabetes mostly occurs in people aged 45 and over, but nowadays, younger people are also being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Belief 6: People with diabetes must be obese
Diabetes can result from many causes such as genetics, eating high-fat and high-sugar foods, lack of exercise, frequent stress, and insufficient rest. Therefore, whether a person is obese or thin, they are at risk of diabetes. Patients with very high blood sugar levels may lose sugar through urine, causing weight loss and a frail appearance.
Belief 7: Sugar from fruit is safe sugar
Many diabetic patients must avoid sweets to control blood sugar levels, so fruit becomes an attractive option because everyone thinks fruit is beneficial and natural.
However, in reality, the fruit-eating behavior of diabetic patients can cause blood sugar to spike higher because fruit contains fructose, which converts to glucose and raises blood sugar levels. This does not mean diabetic patients cannot eat fruit; they just need to adjust their intake to an appropriate portion.
Belief 8: People with diabetes cannot donate blood
People with diabetes can donate blood if their blood sugar levels are well controlled and they have no diabetic complications. This depends on the discretion of the staff.
Belief 9: If you have diabetes, you must inject insulin, meaning it is the final stage
Treatment of type 2 diabetes aims to control blood sugar levels to prevent complications. If diet, exercise, and oral medications cannot control blood sugar, insulin injections are necessary. For type 1 diabetes, due to genetic and immune system causes, the body cannot produce insulin, so insulin therapy is the main treatment.
Belief 10: Only starch and sugar cause diabetes
Because the disease is called “diabetes,” many people think the cause is mainly eating starch or sugar. However, studies show that besides starch and sugar, saturated fat is another cause of diabetes because it inhibits insulin action, slowing blood sugar reduction. When blood sugar does not decrease, the pancreas produces more insulin than normal to lower blood sugar, causing the pancreas to overwork and deteriorate, eventually leading to diabetes.
Diabetic patients and caregivers should study information carefully, such as researching from reliable sources and consulting directly with specialist doctors, which is the best option for health care.
