Catherine Ko, MS, RD, CDE Unfortunately, diabetes has become a term that is prevalent in our society and all too familiar to us. Diabetes is the most common metabolic disease closely associated with obesity. In my years of experience educating people about how to manage their diabetes, I’ve run into a few myths that are a common theme :
- I need to have fasting blood glucose (FBG) like someone without diabetes.
False. Most clinicians consider a fasting blood sugar level of <100mg/dl to be normal, meaning, you don’t have diabetes. Should you become diagnosed with diabetes, the therapeutic goal is to manage your FBG. The objective should be to keep your FBG in a controlled range of 80-130mg/dl.
- As long as I control my diet, I don’t need/want to take medication.
This is only sometimes correct. Many people end up going to a dietitian because they have newly been diagnosed with diabetes and they don’t want to take their medication. They are of the mindset that changing their diet alone will achieve the desired results.
Yes, it is possible to control diabetes without medication, BUT it takes lifestyle modification for this to occur. Diet and exercise modifications are necessary. However, it’s important to acknowledge when these changes are not enough. The medication is designed to keep the blood sugar manageable when lifestyle modification alone is not enough.
For some, you could have the most amazing diet, be a trooper and stick to your calorie count, exercise every single day, yet still have high blood sugar. The medicine is important towards keeping your body in check.
- Now that I changed my diet, I don’t have to continue taking the medication once the blood sugar is low enough.
This is incorrect with very few exceptions. Plain and simple: medication is a part of diabetes management. It contributes to keeping your blood sugar in control, along with diet and exercise. The constant reminder I give is that diabetes is the disruption of the normal mechanism in our body. A great analogy is like driving your car on a punctured tire. Sure, you can put a patch on the tire, but once it’s removed the tire is still deflated. Of course, there is an occasional person that sticks to their diet and moves away from the medications, but those are few and far between.
- It is all my fault that I am on insulin
This is false. Many of my patients have discussed having to take insulin and showing a strong sense of guilt. For some reason, there is a stigma in our society about people who take insulin. It’s as if it has been deemed punishment for people who do not comply. This is rather harsh and unjustified. Just like aging or arthritis, diabetes progresses in each person differently. Some people remain spry and active for decades, while others experience a more rapid decline. Insulin is part of the treatment of diabetes for people who need it. There is no shame or “fault” for having to take it.
- I can cure my diabetes by just eating right.
This is also incorrect (in my opinion, anyway). When you develop diabetes, it means that your body is losing its ability to regulate the blood sugar level. Diet modification, exercise and medication are the all tools available, once this ability is compromised. Weight loss and exercise may restore some of that lost ability, however, diabetes is still ongoing. The next time your FBG reads 98 without any medication, it means you are controlling diabetes extremely well. So well, in fact, that it might be considered “normal”. This does NOT make you free from diabetes.
- I get diabetes because I eat too much sugar.
False. The top risk factor to develop diabetes, according to all the research and CDC is overweight. It’s the imbalance between food intake and physical inactivity that leads to obesity. Eating too much sugar, fat, or protein can all lead to overweight, hence increasing the risk of developing diabetes. This is NOT to say eating sugar is okay. But it is a myth to think someone who develops diabetes due to increased sugar intake alone.
