We all know of someone who is diagnosed with diabetes. In a 2011 National
Health and Morbidity Survey, it was estimated that 2.6 million Malaysians
are affected by the disease.
Diabetes is one of the most common
diseases in the world, and sadly, there
is no cure for this chronic and
often deadly disease. In conjunction with
World Diabetes Day, we explore 10
hard facts about diabetes.
1 Eating too much sugar does not cause
diabetes
Eating too much sugar is unlikely to cause diabetes. A person
develops
diabetes due to a number of factors, such as:
Type 1
diabetes occurs when the pancreas completely stops making any insulin
(a
hormone that helps the body process glucose in foods for energy).
Scientists
suspect environmental factors, viruses or genetics playing a role
in a
person developing type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is caused when the
body doesn’t produce sufficient insulin
and/or is unable to use insulin
properly. This form of diabetes usually
happens in people over 40 years of
age, overweight, and has a history of
diabetes in their family.
2
You cannot catch diabetes from someone else
You cannot catch diabetes
from someone else like a cold or flu; it is not an
infectious or contagious
disease. Although scientists are not entirely sure
what causes diabetes,
there appears to be a genetic link with the disorder.
This means that if
diabetes runs in your family, you may have a higher
chance of getting the
disease.
3 Fat people do not always develop diabetes
There
are diabetics who are never overweight
Being overweight or obese does
increase the risk of developing but it does
not mean that an obese person
will definitely become diabetic. And there are
still many diabetics who were
never overweight.
4 Diabetes can kill you
Diabetes is one
of the top causes of death in Malaysia. A 2008 survey on the
causes of
deaths in Malaysia ranked diabetes fifth place in the top 10
causes of death
in Malaysia, this statistic ranks diabetes higher than
strokes and
hypertension.
5 Not only old people get diabetes
There is a
growing number of children and teenagers who are developing type
2 diabetes.
Experts suspect that this trend is linked to the increase in
childhood
obesity rates, poor diet, and lack of exercise.
6 Children cannot
outgrow diabetes
There is no cure for diebetes until one is
found
Nearly all children who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1, which
is
when the pancreas completely stops making any insulin. This deficiency is
permanent and the ability for the body to produce insulin will never come
back. Hence, children with type 1 diabetes will need to take insulin for the
rest of their lives until a cure is found.
7 People with
diabetes don’t need to eat special diabetic foods
Diabetics are
recommended to follow a healthy diet, but it’s pretty much the
same diet
plan like anybody else. That means having a meal plan that
consists of
whole-grain foods, lean protein, vegetables, and fruit. A diet
low in fat
and moderate in both salt and sugar is also suggested. These
so-called
diabetic foods offer no special benefit, so it is best to give a
pass on
this rather costly label.
8 Diabetics can eat sweets or
desserts
Being diabetic doesn’t mean that you have to completely cut out
sweet things
from your diet. As long as sweets and desserts are eaten in
moderation and
part of a healthy meal plan, diabetics can still enjoy their
sweet treats.
Being diabetic doesn’t mean that you have to completely cut
out sweet things
from your diet. As long as sweets and desserts are eaten in
moderation and
part of a healthy meal plan, diabetics can still enjoy their
sweet treats
from time to time. Diabetics should still cut down on sugar
intake, but the
key is to have a very small portion of sweet foods and save
them for special
occasions.
9 Taking insulin doesn’t mean that
your diabetes is more severe
Insulin injection should not hurt with
good technique. Taking insulin does not mean that your diabetes is more severe
or that you have failed, rather, it actually helps you to manage your
diabetes better which will help you lower your risk of potential
complications. Diabetes change over time and people who start out with oral
medication at first will most probably move on to insulin injections to
provide better diabetes control.
10 Injecting insulin is not
painful
Taking insulin injections should not hurt at all with practising
good
injection technique. Most insulin pen needles are also short and thin
which
help to minimise discomfort.
