When mentioning “diabetes”, it is believed that no one is unfamiliar with it because currently, diabetes worldwide is considered a concerning situation. According to data from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), there are currently more than 400 million people with diabetes, and the number is expected to continue increasing. However, despite this, most people still do not fully realize the silent danger of this disease.
At the same time, there are many misunderstandings about diabetes, which further increases the risk of developing diabetes. Therefore, to protect yourself and those around you from diabetes, as well as to help diabetic patients manage their condition with quality and happiness, today we will help you understand diabetes through misconceptions that unknowingly increase life-threatening risks!!!
Diabetes medication causes rapid kidney deterioration
This is a “misconception”” because the real cause of rapid kidney damage is “diabetes itself”. People with diabetes have high blood sugar levels, increased blood viscosity, which causes the kidneys to work harder to filter waste. Excessive sugar in the urine means the kidneys cannot reabsorb all of it, so some sugar is excreted in the urine, making the kidneys work even harder. Some patients may also have protein leakage, noticeable by increased foam in the urine. If this condition is left untreated, kidney filtration efficiency gradually decreases, eventually leading to kidney failure.
Normally, when diabetic patients come for follow-up treatment, doctors regularly check kidney function to adjust medication doses appropriately for each patient’s kidney condition. Therefore, diabetes medication is not the cause of kidney deterioration; the main cause is diabetes itself. If patients do not take good care of themselves and fail to control their blood sugar levels, the risk of rapid kidney deterioration increases significantly.
Only elderly people are at risk of diabetes
This is a “serious misconception” that causes most people to be careless, increasing their risk of diabetes. People of all ages and genders can develop diabetes. Type 1 diabetes can be found even in young children; it is caused by pancreatic dysfunction where insulin cannot be produced. Insulin is the main substance that helps use sugar, so without insulin production, sugar accumulates in the bloodstream, leading to diabetes.
Meanwhile, type 2 diabetes occurs when the body still produces insulin but develops insulin resistance, causing insulin to work poorly and resulting in high blood sugar. Type 2 diabetes is more common in older people, especially those with other risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, and high blood lipids.
In summary, diabetes can occur at any age and is increasingly found in younger people due to current behaviors such as consuming more carbohydrate- and sugar-rich foods and lack of exercise, leading to high blood sugar accumulation and eventually diabetes.
Eating too much sweet food causes diabetes
For people already at risk, such as those with obesity, high blood pressure, or a family history of diabetes, the chance of developing diabetes is higher if they consume more sweets than the body needs. However, even if we have a high risk, controlling diet well and avoiding excessive intake of starch and sugar can reduce the risk of diabetes. Diabetes is not 100% dependent on sweets because even if we do not eat sweets but consume too much rice, starch, or fat, it can lead to obesity or overweight, which indirectly causes insulin resistance and eventually diabetes, even without eating many sweets.
Everyone has diabetes, so it’s not a scary disease
Diabetes is considered one of the “dangerous diseases that are among the leading causes of death worldwide”. Diabetes can cause both acute and chronic complications. The acute complications we know well include extremely high blood sugar causing unconsciousness, lethargy, diabetic ketoacidosis, which can lead to bloodstream infections and death.
Chronic complications often involve abnormal blood vessels, such as stroke, coronary artery disease, and peripheral artery disease. These symptoms usually affect large blood vessels. Small blood vessels can cause diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, and neuropathy.
Therefore, diabetes is a dangerous disease that everyone should be aware of and prevent. The main danger lies in blood vessel deterioration, causing abnormal contraction and relaxation of blood vessels, easy blood clot formation, which leads to fatal diseases!
Diabetics must absolutely avoid sweets
It must be said that this is “not always true”. Diabetic patients who have poor blood sugar control or are newly diagnosed are advised to “avoid” sweets initially to manage the disease and control blood sugar levels. For patients who have good blood sugar control, sweets can be consumed but recommended as “carbohydrate exchanges”. For example, if you want to eat sweets in a meal, reduce starch and carbohydrates in that meal to balance intake because starch contains sugar, and sweets contain sugar. Eating both together can raise blood sugar levels. Therefore, starch should be reduced if sweets are consumed to better control the disease and blood sugar levels.
Additionally, carbohydrate exchanges help make eating more enjoyable, which benefits overall health because overly strict diets can affect mental health negatively. However, frequent use of carbohydrate exchanges is not recommended as it may lead to a sweet tooth and poor blood sugar control.
Diabetics are not allowed to donate blood
In reality, people with diabetes can donate blood but with precautions. They should donate only when physically fit because most diabetics have complications such as high blood pressure, stroke, or coronary artery disease. Blood donation may trigger these complications or worsen symptoms, harming the donor.
Blood from diabetic patients is not useless; it can be used for plasma, platelets, or white blood cells. Therefore, diabetics can donate blood, and the donated blood is useful, but the donor must be in good health to prevent harm to themselves.
I’m thin, not overweight, so I’m safe from diabetes
It is true that obese people have a 50% higher risk of diabetes than normal-weight people because obesity causes insulin resistance and sugar accumulation in the blood, leading to diabetes. However, “being thin or not overweight does not mean you cannot have diabetes”. For example, type 1 diabetes caused by pancreatic dysfunction and inability to produce insulin can occur regardless of weight.
Diabetes can also occur in other cases, such as if both parents have diabetes, the child may develop diabetes at a young age because diabetes is hereditary. Chronic pancreatitis from alcohol can also impair insulin production. Therefore, do not assume that being thin means no risk of diabetes.
Diabetics who inject insulin are in a coma or severe condition
Using insulin is an appropriate treatment method and does not mean the patient is “severely ill”. Insulin injections are considered based on the doctor’s judgment. For example, type 1 diabetics who cannot produce insulin or type 2 diabetics with chronic liver or kidney disease who cannot take certain medications or whose blood sugar is not well controlled with oral drugs may be prescribed insulin. It is not necessary to be severely ill to receive insulin treatment.
Sugar from fruit is good, safe, and does not increase diabetes risk
It must be clearly understood that “sugar from fruit also affects the risk of diabetes” because most fruits contain fructose, which can be converted to glucose. Consuming excessive fructose beyond what the body can burn increases the risk of diabetes and may cause more fat accumulation in the liver than glucose. Therefore, fruits should be eaten in appropriate amounts, and low-sugar fruits such as apples, rose apples, dragon fruit, guava, and berries with mild sweetness are good choices. They provide vitamins and fiber and are safer for the body.
Only starch and sugar cause diabetes
This is not always true because fats and proteins can also be converted into blood sugar, though more slowly. If large amounts of these foods are consumed along with other risk factors such as obesity, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, or family history of diabetes, diabetes can develop even without eating starch or sugar. Therefore, to stay safe from diabetes, overall diet and risk factors must be well managed to avoid obesity.
Diabetes can be cured with herbs, no need for medication
Some herbs have properties that can lower blood sugar, such as Nan Chao Wei, Rang Jeud, and Pok Kabid. However, most studies are on animals or small trials not conducted worldwide, so the effective dosage is unknown. There is no information on herb use in patients with chronic liver or kidney disease regarding dosage adjustment or long-term safety. Therefore, the best and safest diabetes treatment should follow modern medicine, which is well-studied, standardized, and globally accepted.
Misconceptions or misunderstandings about diabetes
These issues have been deeply rooted in society for a long time. If not corrected, many people will continue to have misconceptions about diabetes, especially diabetic patients. The inevitable result is an increasing number of new diabetes cases and worsening conditions among patients, with higher mortality rates due to inability to care for themselves or failure to follow proper medical advice.
Therefore, we all should understand the correct facts to take care of ourselves and our loved ones safely from diabetes, including regularly checking blood sugar levels or screening for diabetes risk every year.
