Myth 1: People with diabetes cannot eat sugar at all
Every diabetic has come across the “You can’t eat that because you have diabetes!” When a person has diabetes, their body cannot deal with high levels of sugar but that doesn’t mean they don’t need sugar. Sugar is converted to glucose which is an energy source for all human bodies to function effectively.
Myth 2: If you are obese, you have diabetes!
Yes, obesity is a risk factor for diabetes but that in no way means if you are obese, you are bound to have diabetes. There is more to diabetes than just weight, genetics also plays a huge role in getting diabetes. It’s true that most diabetics are overweight but that isn’t the case always!
Myth 3: Insulin causes blindness
This myth comes from the element that doctors normally recommended insulin therapy as their last option after the complications of diabetes had already set in. In reality, insulin has fewer side effects than any other diabetic medication, yet it is universally misunderstood.
Myth 4: Insulin therapy is because you couldn’t manage your diabetes
Moving to insulin is seen as a personal failure of not being able to handle diabetes on your own. This isn’t always the true! Due to the complex nature of Type 2 diabetes, there is a high chance that people would require insulin for their body to function correctly. It is not mismanagement on their part.
Myth 5: Women with diabetes cannot have children
There was a time when doctors advised women not to conceive if they had diabetes, especially women with Type 1 diabetes. There is no evidence for this, women with diabetes are able to have a normal pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby.
Book an appointment with a diabetes specialist online today.
