“Diabetes
is caused by problems related to the hormone insulin, which helps turn blood
sugar (glucose) into energy. With type 2 diabetes, a problem called insulin
resistance happens when the body's cells can’t use insulin properly, and the
pancreas makes an abundance to overcome the increase in blood glucose levels.
When this happens, the pancreas can gradually lose its ability to make insulin;
the increased amount of sugar in the blood can damage nerves and blood vessels.
Chronically elevated blood sugars lead to such complications as heart disease,
stroke, and kidney disease.” Quoted from
“WebMD”.
Diabetes
myths have made it difficult for people to believe some of the hard facts –
such as diabetes is a serious and potentially deadly disease. These myths can
create a picture of diabetes that is not accurate and full of stereotypes and
stigma.
1.
Eating
Too Much Sugar Causes Type 2 Diabetes
Fact – Experts
don't fully understand what causes type 2 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, the
body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn't produce enough insulin. Healthy
eating—limiting fat, sugar, salt and cholesterol—is an important part of
staying healthy for all adults. {My view – Eat healthy with regular exercise}
The American Diabetes
Association recommends that people should avoid intake of sugar-sweetened
beverages to help prevent diabetes. Sugar-sweetened beverages include beverages
like:
·
regular soda
·
fruit punch
·
fruit drinks
·
energy drinks
·
sports drinks
·
sweet tea
·
other sugary drinks.
These will raise blood glucose and
can provide several hundred calories in just one serving!
See for yourself:
·
Just one 12-ounce can of regular soda has about 150 calories and
40 grams of carbohydrate. This is the same amount of carbohydrate in 10 teaspoons of sugar!
·
One cup of fruit punch and other sugary fruit drinks have about
100 calories (or more) and 30 grams of carbohydrate.
2.
People
with Type 2 Diabetes Can't Eat Sugar, Sweets or Starches
Fact – Glucoseor
blood sugar—comes from carbohydrates. Starches, fruits, sugar, alcohol, and
even grains contain carbohydrates or carbs. The key to eating carbs with type 2
diabetes is portion control. With proper
portion control, no foods should be off limits. {My view – Work with a
Dietitian to derive a “RIGHT” diet portion for you. Even consume too much brown rice may spike
your post meal glucose }
3.
Taking insulin means a person has failed
Fact – “This is a big myth,” says Jill Crandall,
MD, Director of the Diabetes Clinical Trials Unit and
co-director of the DRTC Clinical Research Facilitation Core at
the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in the Bronx, N.Y. “Many people who
try very hard to adhere to a diet, exercise, and lose weight will
still need insulin.”
“A large percentage of people with
type 2 diabetes will ultimately need insulin, and we don’t see it as a
failure,” she says.
4.
Insulin is inferior as compare to Oral medications
Fact – Oral diabetes medications can be great when it comes to lowering
blood glucose levels. Many have been used for years and are very safe, such as “metformin”
Still, not all oral medications work for everyone. "For some
people, insulin is the easiest and best because it always works, but some
people respond to pills, and others don’t," says Dr. Crandall.
Not all oral medications have a tried-and-true safety record. For
example, Avandia was restricted by the FDA because of research suggesting that it ups
the risk of heart attack.
Personally I was taking Avandia during my dialysis days and I have
to stop taking it after the FDA report.
5.
Multiple daily injections of insulin are required
Fact – There are many options such as the long-acting once-a-day insulin,
twice a day or even taking a rapid reaction insulin before each meal.
Personally, taking 3 rapid reactions insulin before each meal as
well as one long lasting insulin before bed times give me a much better control
of my blood sugar.
If you have followed my earlier post, I am maintaining a very
healthy control of blood sugar after my transplant.
6.
People
with Type 2 Diabetes Don't Need Insulin
Fact – Many
people manage type 2 diabetes with healthy eating, plenty of exercise, weight
loss, and oral medicines. As the disease progresses, most people eventually
need insulin. Starting insulin for type 2 diabetes does not mean you have
failed to manage your disease. It means your disease is changing. Experts
recognized this when they changed the name from "non-insulin dependent
diabetes" to "type 2 diabetes."
7.
Only
Overweight or Obese People Develop Type 2 Diabetes
Fact – Certain
risk factors make it more likely for someone to develop type 2 diabetes. Being
overweight or obese is one of them. But being overweight or obese doesn't
necessarily mean someone will develop type 2 diabetes. That's because there are
other risk factors which include having a family history of the disease and
being over age 40. {My view – Eat healthy with regular exercise}
8.
Type 2
Diabetes Always Causes Symptoms
Fact – The
telltale symptoms of type 2 diabetes are increased urination, thirst and
hunger. Other symptoms include weight loss and fatigue; slow healing wounds and
blurred vision typically occur later in the disease. {My earlier post, “Urine
with Bubbles”, worth a read}.
Here is another article, “News
Anchor Wakes Up to Diabetes” where she ignored all telltale
symptoms of diabetes.
9.
Pre-diabetes
Is Nothing to Worry About
Fact – You
either have diabetes or you don't. Having pre-diabetes puts you at very high
risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The good news is that you can do something
about it. Research suggests that you can cut your risk by 58% if you lose 7% of
your body weight and exercise moderately for 30 minutes a day, five days a
week.
10.
Type 2
Diabetes Is Not As Serious As Type 1 Diabetes
Fact – Left
uncontrolled, both types of diabetes can cause serious complications and even
be deadly. Complications include kidney disease, vision loss, neuropathy,
amputations, heart attack, and stroke. Fortunately, controlling and managing
type 2 diabetes can help prevent or delay these complications.
11.
Type 2
Diabetes Can Be Cured
Fact – There
is no cure for type 2 diabetes. The disease is controllable with lifestyle
changes, oral medicines, and insulin. In some cases, people
have been able to return their blood glucose levels to normal and stop their
medicines. Doctors refer to this as remission instead of cure because the risk
of relapse is very high. People have achieved remission through
sustained weight loss, healthy eating, and making physical activity part of
their daily routine
12.
People
with Type 2 Diabetes Have to Eat a Special Diet
Fact – Eating
diabetic or dietetic foods is not necessary. In fact, these foods may cause
digestive problems and they are expensive. Instead, people
with type 2 diabetes should eat a healthy diet. This includes limiting fat,
cholesterol and salt. It also means eating fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, and
whole grains. {My view - A friend
with renal failure admitted he has a high sodium diet which resulted in his
systolic number at around 200}
13.
People
with Type 2 Diabetes Can't Lead an Active Life
Fact – Leading an active life is vital to controlling type 2 diabetes. In fact,
exercise can help your muscles take up and use glucose independent of insulin.
Exercise also increases insulin sensitivity so your cells can use insulin
better. People with type 2 diabetes should make exercise part of their daily
routine. {Too much fat will reduce the sensitivity of insulin. My earlier
post, “How
Will a 15 Minutes of Walking Improve Quality of Life” worth a read}
14. People with diabetes are more likely to
get colds and other illnesses.
Fact – A
diabetic is no more likely to get a
cold or another illness as compare to others. For diabetic who do get the flu,
it is more likely than others to go on to develop serious complications. Prior to the transplant, I will get my flu
shots yearly to minimize the risk. It is
not advisable to have flu shots within one year post transplant.
15.
It is fine to eat as much fruits as one wish since they
are healthy.
Fact – Fruits contain fiber, vitamins and minerals. Certain
fruits such as durian, mango and watermelons have high sugar contents. Personally,
I avoid them. It is advisable to talk to
your dietitian for the types and amount of fruits suitable for you.
16. Diabetes CANNOT
eat rice
Fact – Personally, I consider this is the
biggest myth of all. In Asia, rice is
considered a stable food and thus it is not feasible to forgo rice at all. I take brown rice for my lunch and white rice
occasionally. Most important of all is
Portion Control. Even taking too much
brown rice will spike one’s blood sugar.
Stables such as brown rice and rolled oats provide
energy in one’s daily activities.
Diabetic requires carbohydrates after insulin injection to prevent Hypoglycaemias.
If one is not taking any or minimum carbohydrates in a meal, he has to adjust
the insulin dosage to prevent Hypoglycaemias.
Prolong Hypoglycaemias has negative effects on one’s heart. Rice, noodles and bread should
be included as part of a healthy and balanced diet
Let’s look at these
facts and one can judge the seriousness of diabetes:
·
International Diabetes Federation (IDF)
– 371 million people worldwide has been affected while 187 million of them do
not even know they have the disease.
· American Diabetes Association – In a report
released in June 2014, 29.1 million Americans or 9.3% of the
population had diabetes in 2012. Approximately 1.25 million American children and adults have
type 1 diabetes.
·
Diabetic Society of Singapore
– One out of 9 people aged 18 to 69 has
diabetes. That’s about 11.3% of the population or more than 400,000 people!
Diabetes is a chronic disease and, if not managed well, can
deteriorate steadily to cause devastating complications such as blindness,
nerve damage, kidney failure, heart disease and limb amputation. Studies show
that about half of patients already have diabetes-related complications at the
time of diagnosis. Let’s get active with
a healthy diet to take control of your own life!
Other
Relevant Posts for your Reading (您能读其他相关的博克):
·
Blood
Test Report & Creatinine (验血报告&肌氨酸酐)
·
Difference between
Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) and Blood Glucose (葡基化的血红蛋白 (HbA1c) 和血糖之间的别)
Disclaimer: I am not a Medical Doctor. All my blog postings
are based on my personal experience that I've went thru and what I've read up
from the internet. If you've any symptoms of diabetes OR want to better manage
your health, I strongly urge you to have regular medical-ups to avoid future
complications. In addition, control your diet portions and have regular
exercise.
(我不是一位医生。所有我的博克投稿是我的个人经验，并且我从互联网读了。如果您有糖尿病的任何症状或要更好处理您的健康，我强烈敦促您有规则健康检查以避免未来复杂化。另外，控制您的饮食部分并且有定期运动.)
