By Catherine Marschilok, M.S.N., C.D.E., Board Certified in
Advanced Diabetes Management

myth: Taking insulin cures diabetes.

fact: Taking insulin keeps people with type 1 diabetes alive, but
does not cure the disease. While progress toward finding a cure
has been substantial, there is still no cure for diabetes.

myth: Diabetes is caused by obesity, or eating too much sugar.

fact: While obesity has been identified as one of the “triggers”
for type 2 diabetes, it has no relation to the cause of type 1
diabetes. Scientists do not yet know exactly what causes
type 1 diabetes, but they believe that both genetic and
environmental factors are involved. Eating too much sugar is
not a factor.

myth: With strict adherence to a specific diet and exercise plan,
and multiple insulin injections each day based on careful monitoring
of blood sugar levels, a person with type 1 diabetes can easily gain
tight control over his or her blood sugar levels.

fact: While the above strategy is the most effective way to
achieve and maintain tight control of blood sugar levels, optimal
blood sugar control can be very difficult for some patients. Many
factors, including stress, hormone changes, periods of growth,
and illness can easily cause blood sugars to swing out of control.
Teenagers, in particular, may be susceptible to this problem, as
their bodies go through many changes during adolescence. Also,
some people with type 1 find that even though they strive for
tight control and follow their meal plan and insulin schedule, they
still experience rapid fluctuations in their blood glucose. Those
fluctuations do not mean the person with diabetes has done
anything wrong.

myth: People with diabetes should never eat sweets.

fact: Limiting sweets will help people with type 1 diabetes keep
their blood sugar under control, but, with advice from their doctor
or nutritionist, sweets can fit into their meal plan, just as they
would for people without diabetes. And there are times when
sweets are a must: if the blood sugar level drops too low, sweets
(or juice, or soda) can be the surest to raise it, and prevent the
onset of hypoglycemia.

myth: People with diabetes can’t engage in athletics.

fact: Physical exercise is important for everyone’s health, and
is especially important for people with diabetes. Regular exercise
helps lower blood sugar levels and keep them in the target range.
There are countless examples of athletes who have had great
success, from Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer Gary Hall to baseball
great Ron Santo to hockey great Bobby Clarke.

myth: Only kids get type 1 diabetes.

fact: Type 1 diabetes, also known as “juvenile” or “juvenile
onset” diabetes, is usually first diagnosed in children, teenagers,
or young adults. However, people may develop type 1 diabetes at
any age.

myth: Kids don’t get type 2 diabetes.

fact: Though type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in adulthood,
increased obesity and other factors have led to a recent “epidemic”
of this form of diabetes in young adults and children under 10.
Still, most children diagnosed with diabetes get type 1.

myth: Women with diabetes shouldn’t get pregnant.

fact: Thanks to advances in diabetes research, the outlook for
pregnant women with diabetes is significantly better today than
it was a generation ago. However, diabetic pregnancy requires
extra effort and commitment, excellent blood sugar control, and
education in all areas of diabetes management.

myth: No matter what you do, a person with diabetes for years
will eventually get complications.

fact: Complications are not inevitable. The mechanisms that
cause complications are not yet fully understood, and the
extent to which they develop varies from person to person.
Tight blood sugar control is the only method demonstrated to
reduce the risk of developing complications, but their occurrence
remains unpredictable in any individual. Some individuals with
type 1 diabetes may be genetically predisposed to develop
complications (one of the critical issues being addressed by
JDRF’s research).