Learn more about the myths and facts of diabetes

[ACCORDION-WRAPPER][ACCORDION Header="1. Diabetes is Caused by Eating Too Much Sweet Food"]Not necessarily. Diabetes is a chronic disease, where high blood glucose levels are due to the body’s inability to produce insulin or respond to it efficiently.

Insulin is responsible for reducing the blood glucose levels in the body when it is too high. Although eating sweet food does not cause diabetes, a diet high in sugar and fat can lead to obesity, increasing the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.[/ACCORDION][ACCORDION Header="2. Diabetes can be Cured"]Diabetes is a chronic disease condition that has no cure. However, the condition can be well-controlled with proper management, which also helps to prevent the development of complications resulting from high blood sugar.[/ACCORDION][ACCORDION Header="3. Patients on Insulin Have More Serious Diabetes Than Those Who Require Only Oral Medications"]Patients with Type 1 diabetes are not able to produce insulin due to an immune disorder affecting the pancreas. Therefore, oral medications which stimulate the production of insulin by the pancreas are not suitable. Such patients require insulin injections to control their blood glucose level.

For patients with Type 2 diabetes, initial treatment may involve only oral medications or only insulin injections. Some patients may require a combination of oral medications and insulin injections to achieve optimal control of their blood glucose levels.

[/ACCORDION][ACCORDION Header="4. People with Diabetes Will Eventually Need to Amputate Their Feet"]Poorly controlled diabetes in the long term causes damage to the blood vessels, which in turn leads to complications such as foot ulcers and amputation, nerve damage, blindness, kidney failure, heart diseases, and even stroke.

However, such complications are avoidable if diabetes is properly managed. For this reason, it is important for diabetic patients to visit their healthcare providers for regular screening of their foot, eyes and kidney to monitor for the above-mentioned complications.[/ACCORDION][ACCORDION Header="5. People with Diabetes Should Avoid Carbohydrates Since these can Raise the Blood Glucose Level"]Carbohydrates can indeed raise blood glucose level because they are broken down into glucose to provide energy for the body.

As carbohydrates are present in a variety of food (including fruit and vegetables), which may also be important sources of other nutrients, it is not practical to avoid carbohydrates totally. A dietician may be consulted to advise on preferable food choices for diabetic patients.[/ACCORDION][ACCORDION Header="6. People with Diabetes can Safely Eat Snacks or Candies which have “No Added Sugar” or are “For Diabetics”"]

Snacks or candies which have “no added sugar” or those “for diabetics” can be preferred alternatives to regular snacks since they may have relatively lower sugar content. The sugar content in these products may have been replaced by artificial sweeteners.

However, snacks or candies tend to be of low nutritional value and can be high in fat. Hence it would be a good practice to take a look at the content of the products before consumption and to take them in moderation.

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